9FTHE 
UNIVERSITY 


BOOKS   BY  ORISON  SWETT  MARDEN 

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Success  Under  Difficulties 

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Architects  of  Fate 

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The  Secret  of  Achievement 

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Talks  with    Great   Workers 

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JOHN    HAY. 


TALKS   WITH    GREAT 
WORKERS 


EDITED    BY 


ORISON    SWETT    MARDEN 

EDITOR  OF  "  SUCCESS  " 

Author  of  "  Pushing  to  the  Front,"  "The  Secret  of  Achieve 

ment,"  "  The  Hour  of  Opportunity,"  "  An 

Iron  Will,"  etc. 


NEW    YORK 

THOMAS    Y.    CROWELL    &    CO. 
PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1901, 
BY  ORISON  SWETT  MARDEN. 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTE. 


NOTHING  is  more  fascinating  than  the  romance  of 
reality  in  worthy  achievement  under  difficulty,  than  con- 
trasting pictures  of  obscure  beginnings  and  triumphant 
endings,  than  stirring  stories  of  strenuous  endeavor  and 
final  victory. 

These  inspiring  narratives,  many  of  which  have  ap- 
peared in  "  Success,"  have  frequently  proved  turning- 
points  in  the  lives  of  ambitious  youths  striving  against 
iron  circumstances.  They  have  caused  many  a  dull  boy 
and  girl  to  determine  to  be  and  to  do  something  in  the 
world.  This  is  but  another  proof  of  the  old  theory  that 
concrete  illustrations  are  most  effective  in  pointing  morals 
and  shaping  conduct. 

In  response  to  repeated  requests  the  author  has  selected 
from  "  Success "  those  life  stories  which  have  proved 
most  helpful  to  its  readers,  and  has  added  thereto  new 
and  helpful  material,  combining  the  whole  in  a  book 
intended  for  the  youth  of  all  ages. 

In  choosing  the  illustrations  the  formation  of  charac- 
ter, the  application  of  industry  and  will-power,  and  the 
inculcation  of  persistence  and  thoroughness  have  been 

iii 


iv  INTRODUCTORY  NOTE. 

kept  constantly  in  mind.  The  author  sincerely  trusts 
that  there  are  young  people  who,  after  reading  these 
true  tales,  which  explode  the  excuses  of  those  who  think 
they  have  "  no  chance  "  in  life,  will  be  encouraged  to 
start  out  and  duplicate  them. 

To  all  who  have  aided  me  in  securing  and  preparing 
this  matter  I  express  grateful  acknowledgment,  es- 
pecially to  each  of  those  whose  biography  is  here  re- 
lated. 

ORISON  SWETT  HARDEN. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     A    LIFE    OF    ASPIRATION  —  THE   CAREER 

OF  SENATOR  DEPEW 1 

Oratorical     training    and    opportunity ;    points 
upon  business. 

II.     SIR  THOMAS  LIPTON 12 

The  great  yacht  sportsman,  who  took  American 
business  methods  to  England. 

III.  AMBITIOUS    TO  RISE  IN  LIFE  —  NEVER  BY 

LUCK 18 

Russell  Sage  upon  opportunity,  integrity,  physi- 
cal vigor 

IV.  WHEN  MRS.  RUSSELL  SAGE  WAS  A  GIRL  .         23 

The  wife  of  the  millionaire  financier  tells   of 
her  early  efforts  to  earn  her  own  living. 

V.     ONE  OF  THE  MAKERS   OF  THE  NEW  NEW 

YORK 28 

VI.     DOWNRIGHT  HARD  SENSE  AS  TO  THE  WAY 

TO  MAKE  MONEY 34 

The  story  of  a  Connecticut  clock  peddler  who 
built  a  Transcontinental  Railway. 

VII.     BUILDING  UP  A  GREAT  SHIPPING  HOUSE  .         41 
VIII.     THE    FINANCIAL    VALUE    OF    "A    GOOD 

BUSINESS  STANDING  " 47 

IX.     THE    STORY   OF    GOVERNOR   FLOWER  OF 

NEW  YORK  52 


VI 


CONTENTS. 


X.     To  COUNTRY  BOYS:  How  TO  GET  ON  IN 

A  GREAT  CITY 61 

XL     SIGHTLESS,  BUT  FAR-SEEING  :  A  BLIND 

MERCHANT  PRINCE 65 

How  he  got  his  start ;  cardinal  rules  for  busi- 
ness success ;  guideboards  to  prosperity. 

XII.     A  SCOTCH-IRISH   EMIGRANT  BOY,  WHO 
SAVED  HIS  MONEY  AND  HAD  AN  EYE 

FOR  INVESTMENTS 73 

The     perception    of    opportunity,    integrity, 
earnestness,    and    attention   to   details. 

XIII.     THE  BOY   WHO  BECAME  PRESIDENT   OF 

THE  SOUTHERN  EXPRESS 77 

XIV.     A  FARM  BOY 84 

How   grit,    promptness,    economy,    sagacity, 
and  personal  courage  have  won  the  prize. 

XV.     A  FARM  BOY'S  ROAD  TO  FAME    ...         92 

Ploughman,    teacher,    lawyer,    legislator,  — 
Tom  Watson. 

XVI.     WHAT  A  BLIND  FARMER  CAN  DO      .     .         96 

XVII.     THE  BUTTER  KING 99 

Seventy    miles   of  cows   and    seven   million 
pounds  of  butter. 

XVIII.       HOW    TO    SUCCEED    IN    BANKING        .       .       .          104 

Honesty  and  strength  of  will ;  courtesy,  econ- 
omy, self -culture. 

XIX.     LINCOLN  BANK 112 

A  boy  put  upon  his  honor ;  the  elements  of 
success. 

XX.     THE    VALUE   OF    ENERGY,    ALERTNESS, 

SELF-CONTROL 117 

The  possibilities  of  achievement  depicted  by 
one  who  had  a  great  career  in  India. 


CONTENTS. 


Vll 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXI.     THE  RELATION  OF  PLODDING  TO  SUC- 
CESS —  THE  PREMIER  OF  CANADA  .       124 
XXII.     JOHN  SHERMAN'S  BOYHOOD   ....       129 

XXIII.  HE  WAS  EQUAL  TO  HIS  GREAT  OPPOR- 

TUNITY       133 

XXIV.  THE  WORKING  MEN  WHO  WERE  CAR- 

NEGIE'S PARTNERS 139 

Vigor  and  self-reliance ;  ability  and  fidel- 
ity ;  onward  ever,  always  upward. 

XXV.     THE  GOLDEN  RULE  IN  BUSINESS   .     .       152 

The  good  will  and  fellowship  of  employees. 
XXVI.     FROM  MAINE  TO  MICHIGAN  ....       158 
XXVII.     THE  GENEROUS  TREATMENT  OF  WORK- 
MEN —  IT  PAYS 165 

A  practical  demonstration. 
XXVIII.     A   RICH   MAN    WHO   is   PRAISED    BY 

THE  POOR 174 

XXIX.     THE   DISCOVERER   OF  Two  HUNDRED 

INVENTIONS 179 

Success  found  in  hard  work. 

XXX.     A  CAPTAIN  OF  INVENTION  ;  AND  THE 

GIRL  WHO  KNEW  TOO  MUCH  .     .     .       185 
XXXI.     PRUDENCE,  PERSEVERANCE,  AND  EN- 
TERPRISE OF  ROBERT  BONNER    .     .       193 
XXXII.     THE  KING  OF  THE  PENNY  PRESS  .     .       201 

XXXIII.  JOSEPH  JEFFERSON'S  Six  MAXIMS      .       207 

XXXIV.  SECRET  OF   BOURKE  COCKRAN'S  SUC- 

CESS   ON    THE    PLATFORM    AND    AT 

THE   BAR       211 

XXXV.     FROM  LOG  CABIN  TO  SENATE  216 


Vlll 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXXVI.     ARTISTIC  FAME  IN  A  DAY  —  AFTER 

LONG  YEARS  OF  PREPARATION     .       221    W 

XXXVII.     INSPIRATION  OF  THE  SCULPTOR'S  ART,       225 

The  charm  of  good  work ;  unhasting,  un- 
resting. 

XXXVIII.     A  GREAT  MARINE  PAINTER    .     .     .       230 
XXXIX.     YEARS  OF  LABOR  TO  MAKE  OF  PHO- 
TOGRAPHY A  FINE  ART    ....       235 
XL.     AMERICA'S    GREAT    BANDMASTER  — 

SOUSA 240 

His  tireless  energy. 

XLI.     THE  BUILDING  OF  A  GREAT  UNIVER- 
SITY    245 

A  pioneer's  high  ideals  and    lofty   pur- 
poses. 

XLII.     THE  NEWSBOY  COLLEGE-PRESIDENT,       251 
By  the  late  Frances  E.  Willard. 

XLIII.     A    TALK    WITH    GIRLS  —  How    TO 

STUDY 255 

By  Mary  A.  Liverraore. 

XLIV.     OUR  UNCROWNED  QUEEN    ....       261 

One  of  the  most  influential  careers  of  the 
nineteenth  century. 

XLV.     THE  ELEVATION  OF  WOMANHOOD    .       273 
XLVI.     THE  BRIGHT  SIDE  OF  LITERARY  LIFE, 

AND  POINTS  FOR  YOUNG  WRITERS,      279 
XLVII.     SHE  LOVES  HER  WORK  —  MRS.  BUR- 
TON HARRISON 284 

XL VIII.     THE  MILL-GIRL  POET  :  HER  FRIEND- 
SHIP WITH  WHITTIER       ,     .     .  288 


CONTENTS.  IX 

CHAPTER  PAGB 

XLIX.     JULIAN  HAWTHORNE  TO  LITERARY  ASPI- 
RANTS   294 

L.     "UNCLE  REMUS" 297 

LI.     A  SECRET  TOLD  BY  ANTHONY  HOPE  .     .       300 
LII.     SIR  WALTER  BESANT'S  IDEAS  UPON  SUC- 
CESS      306 

LIII.     A  TURNING  POINT  IN  LIFE,  AS  RELATED 

TO  THE  AUTHOR  BY  IRA  D.  SANKEY  .       314 
LIV.     THE   PRACTICAL   TALENT  OF   A  MANY- 
SIDED  MAN 318 

LV.     THE  POWER  OF  ORATORY  ;  AND  COUN- 
SEL BY  A  LEADER  OF  YOUNG  MEN  323 


TALKS  WITH  GREAT  WORKERS. 


i. 

A   LIFE   OF   ASPIRATION; 

THE  CAREER  OF  SENATOR  DEPEW:  ORATORICAL 
TRAINING  AND  OPPORTUNITY;  POINTS  UPON 
BUSINESS. 


MR.  DEPEW'S  early  home  was  at  Peekskill  on  the  Hud- 
son. He  is,  upon  his  father's  side,  a  descendant  of  the 
French  Huguenots,  who  founded  the  village  of  New 
Rochelle,  in  Westchester  county.  His  mother,  Martha 
Mitchell,  was  of  illustrious  and  patriotic  New  England 
descent,  being  a  member  of  the  family  to  which  be- 
longed Roger  Sherman,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence;  and  he  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  Rev. 
Josiah  Sherman,  chaplain  of  the  Seventh  Connecticut 
Continental  infantry,  and  of  Gabriel  Ogden,  of  the  New 
Jersey  militia,  both  of  whom  served  in  the  American 
Revolution. 

Upon  my  meeting  Mr.  Depew,  I  asked  his  judgment 
as  to  the  qualities  of  character  that  make  for  success 
in  life,  and  the  way  to  win.  At  first  I  inquired  whether, 
in  his  opinion,  the 


2  TALKS   WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

OPPORTUNITIES 

awaiting  ambitious  young  men  are  less  or  more  than  they 
have  been  in  the  past. 

"  More,  decidedly  more,"  he  replied.  "  Our  needs  in 
every  field  were  never  greater.  The  country  is  larger, 
and,  while  the  population  is  greater,  the  means  to  supply 
its  increased  wants  require  more  and  more  talent,  so  that 
any  young  man  may  gain  a  foothold  who  makes  his 
effort  with  industry  and  intelligence. " 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  there  is  an  excellent  posi- 
tion awaiting  every  one  ?  " 

"  I  mean  to  say  that,  while  positions  are  not  so  numer- 
ous that  any  kind  of  a  young  man  will  do,  yet  they  are 
so  plentiful  that  you  can  scarcely  find  a  young  man  of 
real  energy  and  intelligence  who  does  not  hold  a  respon- 
sible position  of  some  kind.  The  chief  affairs  are  in  the 
hands  of  young  men." 

"  Was  it  different  in  your  day,  when  you  were  begin- 
ning ?  " 

"  Energy  and  industry  told  heavily  in  the  balance  then, 
as  now,  but  the  high  places  were  not  available  for  young 
men  because  the  positions  were  not  in  existence.  We 
had  to  make  the  places  and  call  ourselves  to  the  tasks. 
To-day  a  man  fits  himself  and  is  called.  There  are 
more  things  to  do. 

"  Fifty  years  hence  the  great  men  of  the  world  will  be 
numbered  by  fifty  thousands;  therefore  it  is  safe  to 
predict  that  the  young  man  of  to-day  has  just  as  much 
chance  of  gaining  success  in  the  future  as  had  the  man 
who  lived  fifty  years  ago.  The  world  multiplies  by 
degrees,  and  so  the  people  become  more  numerous  on  the 
face  of  the  earth.  Idle  territories,  that  are  bound  to  in- 
crease and  progress,  will  become  the  homes  of  this  mass 
of  human  beings. 


CHAUNCEY  M.    DEPEW.  3 

"  The  boy  of  to-day  has  little  to  fear  that  the  field  is 
becoming  overcrowded  in  our  own  country.  It  is  just 
being  opened.  Young  men  of  to-day,  and  those  who  are 
yet  to  be  born,  have  conditions  to  look  forward  to  that 
are  far  more  favorable  than  they  were  to  those  of  the 
past  centuries." 

EDUCATION. 

"  How  was  it  with  boys,  in  your  day,  who  wanted  to 
get  an  education  ?  " 

"  With  most  of  them  it  was  a  thing  to  earn.  Why, 
the  thing  that  I  knew  more  about  than  anything  else,  as 
I  grew  from  year  to  year,  was  the  fact  that  I  had  nothing 
to  expect,  and  must  look  out  for  myself.  I  can't  tell 
you  how  clear  my  parents  made  this  point  to  me.  It 
absolutely  glittered,  so  plain  was  it." 

"Had  you  any  superior  advantages  in  the  way  of 
money,  books,  or  training  ?  "  I  continued. 

"  If  you  want  to  call  excellent  training  a  superior  ad- 
vantage, I  had  it.  Training  was  a  great  point  with  us. 
We  trained  with  the  plow,  the  axe,  and  almost  any  other 
implement  we  could  lay  our  hands  on.  I  might  even  call 
the  switch  used  at  our  house  an  early  advantage,  and,  I 
might  say,  superior  to  any  other  in  our  vicinity.  I  had 
some  books,  but  our  family  was  not  rich  even  for  those 
times.  We  were  comfortably  situated,  nothing  more." 

"Do  you  owe  more  to  your  general  reading  than  you 
do  to  your  early  school  training  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  think  so.  I  attended  the  school  in  our  village 
regularly  until  I  went  to  college ;  but  I  was  not  distin- 
guished for  scholarship  —  except  on  the  ball-ground  !" 

PHYSICAL    VIGOR. 

"  Do  you  attribute  much  of  your  success  in  life  to 
physical  strength  ?  " 


4  TALKS   WITH   GREAT    WORKERS. 

"It  is  almost  indispensable.  I  was  always  strong. 
The  conditions  tended  to  make  strong  men  in  those  days. 
I  went  to  college  in  my  eighteenth  year.  I  think  I 
acquired  a  broader  view  there,  and  sound  ideals  which 
have  been  great  helps." 

"  What  profession  did  you  fix  upon  as  the  field  for 
your  life  work  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  That  of  the  law.  I  always  looked  forward  to  that; 
and,  after  my  graduation,  in  1856,  I  went  into  a  law 
office  (that  of  Hon.  William  Nelson)  at  Peekskill,  and 
prepared  for  practice. 

"That  was  a  time  of  intense  political  excitement. 
There  were  factions  in  the  Democratic  party,  and  the 
Whig  party  seemed  to  be  passing  away.  The  Republican 
party,  or  People's  party,  as  it  had  first  been  called,  was 
organized  in  1856,  and  men  were  changing  from  side  to 
side.  I  joined  the  Republican  party.  When  I  gradu- 
ated at  Yale  College,  in  1856,"  he  continued,  "  I  came 
home  to  the  village  of  Peekskill  to  meet  my  father,  my 
grandfather,  my  uncles,  and  my  brothers,  all  old  Hunker, 
State  rights,  pro-slavery  Democrats.  But  I  had  been 
through  the  fiery  furnace  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  excite- 
ment at  New  Haven,  and  had  come  out  of  it  a  free-soil 
Republican.  Two  days  after  my  return  I  stood,  a  trem- 
bling boy,  upon  a  campaign  platform  to  give  voice  to 
that  conversion  which  nearly  broke  my  father's  heart, 
and  almost  severed  me  from  all  family  ties.  It  seemed 
then  as  if  the  end  of  the  world  had  come  for  me,  in  the 
necessity  for  this  declaration  of  convictions  and  princi- 
ples, but  I  expressed  my  full  belief.  In  this  sense  I 
believe  a  young  man  should  be  strong,  and  that  such 
difficult  action  is  good  for  him." 


CHAUNCEY  M.    DEPEW.  5 

THE    YOUTHFUL    ORATOR. 

"  Is  that  where  you  began  your  career  as  an  orator  ?  " 
I  asked. 

"  You  mean  as  a  stump-speaker  ?  Yes.  I  talked  for 
Fremont  and  Dayton,  our  candidates,  but  they  were  de- 
feated. We  really  did  not  expect  success,  though,  and 
yet  we  carried  eleven  States.  After  that  I  went  back  to 
my  law  books,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1858. 
That  was  another  campaign  year,  and  I  spoke  for  the 
party  then,  as  I  did  two  years  later,  when  I  was  a  candi- 
date for  the  State  Assembly,  and  won." 

The  real  glory,  hidden  by  this  modest  statement,  is  that 
Mr.  Depew's  oratory  in  the  campaign  of  1858  gained  him 
such  distinction  that  he  was  too  prominent  to  be  passed 
over  in  1860.  During  that  campaign  he  stumped  the 
entire  State,  winning  rare  oratorical  triumphs,  and  aid- 
ing the  party  almost  more  than  any  one  else.  How  deep 
an  impression  the  young  member  from  Peekskill  really 
made  in  the  State  legislature  by  his  admirable  mastery 
of  the  complex  public  business  brought  before  him,  may 
be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  when,  two  years  later,  he 
was  reflected  he  was  speedily  made  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  ways  and  means.  He  was  also  elected 
speaker,  pro  tern. ;  and  at  the  next  election,  when  his 
party  was  practically  defeated  all  along  the  line,  he  was 
returned. 

THE    VANDERBILT    RAILWAYS. 

After  briefly  referring  to  the  active  part  he  took  in  the 
Lincoln  campaign,  I  asked  : 

"  When  did  you  decide  upon  your  career  as  a  railroad 
official  ?  " 

"  In  1866.  I  was  retained  by  Commodore  Vanderbilt 
as  attorney  for  the  New  York  and  Harlem  road." 


6  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

"  To  what  do  you  attribute  your  rise  as  an  official  in 
that  field  ?  " 

"  Hard  work.  That  was  a  period  of  railroad  growth. 
There  were  many  small  roads  and  plenty  of  warring 
elements.  Out  of  these  many  small  roads,  when  once 
united,  came  the  great  systems  which  now  make  it  possi- 
ble to  reach  California  in  a  few  days.  Any  one  who 
entered  upon  the  work  at  that  time  had  to  encounter 
those  conditions,  and  if  he  continued  in  it,  to  change 
them.  I  was  merely  a  counsellor  at  first." 

In  1869  Mr.  Depew  was  made  attorney  for  the  New 
York  Central  and  Hudson  River  Railroad;  and  after- 
wards a  director.  This  was  the  period  of  the  develop- 
ment of  the  Vanderbilt  system.  Mr.  Depew  was  a  con- 
stant adviser  of  the  Vanderbilts,  and,  by  his  good 
judgment  and  sagacious  counsel,  maintained  their  con- 
stant respect  and  friendship.  In  1875  he  was  made 
general  counsel  for  the  entire  system,  and  a  director  in 
each  one  of  the  roads. 

It  has  often  been  urged  by  the  sinister-minded  that 
it  was  something  against  him.  to  have  gained  so  much  at 
the  hands  of  the  Vanderbilts.  The  truth  is  that  this  is 
his  chief  badge  of  honor.  Many  times  he  has  won  in- 
fluence and  votes  for  the  Vanderbilt  interests,  but  always 
by  the  use  of  wit,  oratorical  persuasion,  and  legitimate, 
honorable  argument  —  never  by  the  methods  of  the  lob- 
byist. Commodore  Vanderbilt  engaged  him  as  counsel 
for  the  New  York  Central  Railroad,  at  a  salary  of 
$25,000  a  year,  — then  equal  to  the  salary  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  —  and  he  always  acknowl- 
edged that  Mr.  Depew  earned  the  money. 

He  became  finally  the  head  of  the  entire  Vauderbilt 
system,  or  the  controlling  spirit  of  thirty  distinct  rail- 
roads, besides  being  a  director  in  the  Wagner  Palace  Car 


CHAUNCEY  M.    DEPEW.  7 

Company,  the  Union  Trust  Company,  the  Western  Union 
Telegraph  Company,  the  Equitable  Life  Insurance 
Society,  the  Western  Transit  Company,  the-  West  Shore 
and  International  Bridge  Company,  the  Morris  Eun  Coal 
Mining  Company,  the  deal-field  Bituminous  Coal  Cor- 
poration, the  Hudson  River  Bridge  Company,  the  Canada 
Southern  Bridge  Company,  the  Niagara  River  Bridge 
Company,  the  Niagara  Grand  Island  Bridge  Company, 
the  Tonawanda  Island  Bridge  Company,  the  American 
Safe  Deposit  Company,  the  Mutual  Gas  Light  Company, 
and  the  Brooklyn  Storage  and  Warehouse  Company. 

WORKING    HOURS. 

"How  much  of  your  time  each  day,"  I  asked,  "have 
you  given,  upon  an  average,  to  your  professional  duties  ?  " 

"  Only  a  moderate  number  of  hours.  I  do  not  believe 
in  overwork.  The  affairs  of  life  are  not  important 
enough  to  require  it,  and  the  body  cannot  endure  it. 
Just  an  ordinary  day's  labor  of  eight  or  ten  hours  has 
been  my  standard." 

POLITICS. 

"Your  official  duties  never  drew  you  wholly  from  the 
political  field,  I  believe  ?  " 

"  Entirely,  except  special  needs  of  the  party,  when  I 
have  been  urged  to  accept  one  task  after  another.  I  be- 
lieve that  every  man's  energies  should  be  at  the  disposal 
of  his  country." 

"  On  the  political  side,  what  do  you  think  is  the  essen- 
tial thing  for  success  ?  " 

"  The  very  things  that  are  essential  anywhere  else  — 
honesty,  consistency,  and  hard  work." 

"  It  requires  no  strain  of  character,  no  vacillation  ?  " 

"For  twenty-five  years,"  answered  Mr.  Depew,  "I  was 


8  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

on  all  occasions  in  the  front  of  political  battles,  and  I 
never  found  that  political  opinions  or  activity  made  it 
necessary  to  break  friendships  or  make  them." 

Mr.  Depew's  political  career  is  already  so  well  known 
that  it  need  not  be  reviewed  here. 

Iti  1888  he  was  the  presidential  candidate  of  the  Re- 
publicans of  New  York  State,  at  the  national  convention, 
but  withdrew  his  name.  President  Harrison  offered  him 
the  position  of  Secretary  of  State,  to  succeed  Mr.  Blaine, 
but  he  again  declined.  He  is  now  a  United  States  sen- 
ator from  New  York. 

AS   TO    THE   RECENT   WAR. 

Mr.  Depew  remarked  that  the  new  possessions  mean 
everything  to  young  men,  who  are  going  to  be  old  men 
by  and  by :  "  We,  as  a  nation,  are  going  to  find,  by  the 
wise  utilization  of  the  conditions  forced  upon  us,  how  to 
add  incalculably  to  American  enterprise  and  opportunity 
by  becoming  masters  of  the  sea,  and  entering,  with  the 
surplus  of  our  manufactures,  the  markets  of  the  world. 
The  solid  merchants  are  to  undertake  the  extension  of 
American  trade,  but  the  young  men  will  be  called  in  to 
do  the  work  under  their  guidance.  The  young  man  who 
is  ready  is  naturally  the  one  chosen." 

MATERIAL    SUCCESS. 

"Do  you  think  a  tide  of  prosperity  waits  for  every 

young  American  ?  " 

"  It  may  not  exactly  wait,  but  he  can  catch  it  easily." 
"  It  is  said,"  I  replied,  "  that  any  field  or  profession, 

carefully  followed,  will  bring  material  success.     Is  that 

the  thing  to  be  aimed  at  ?  " 
•"Material  success   does  not  constitute  an  honorable 

aim.     If  that  were  true,  a  grasping  miser  would  be  the 


CHAUNCEY  M.   DEPEW.  9 

most  honorable  creature  on  earth,  while  a  man  like  Glad- 
stone, great  without  money,  would  have  been  an  impossi- 
bility. The  truth  is  that  material  success  is  usually  the 
result  of  a  great  aim,  which  looks  to  some  great  public 
improvement ;  some  man  plans  to  be  an  intelligent  servant 
of  some  great  public  need  ;  and  the  result  of  great  energy 
in  serving  the  public  intelligently  is  wealth.  It  never  has 
been  possible  to  become  notable  in  this  respect  in  any 
other  way." 

THE    FIELD    FOR    ORATORY. 

"  It  is  often  said  that  the  excellent  opportunities  for 
young  men  are  gone." 

"  If  you  listen  to  ordinary  comment,"  said  Mr.  Depew, 
"  you  can  come  to  believe  that  almost  anything  is  dead 
—  patriotism,  honor,  possibilities,  trade  —  in  fact,  any- 
thing, and  it's  all  according  to  whom  you  talk  with. 
There  was  a  belief,  not  long  ago,  that  the  great  orators 
were  dead,  and  had  left  no  successors.  Papers  and 
magazines  were  said  to  supply  this  excellent  tonic.  Yet 
orators  have  appeared,  great  ones  ;  and  in  the  face  of  the 
beauty,  and  grace,  and  fire  which  animate  some  of  them, 
you  read  the  speeches  of  the  older  celebrities  and 
wonder  what  it  was  in  them  that  stirred  men." 

"  And  this  field  is  also  open  to  young  men  ?  " 

"Not  as  a  profession,  of  course,  but  as  a  means  to 
real  distinction,  certainly.  The  field  was  never  before 
so  open.  I  have  listened  to  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  with 
his  vigorous  argument,  slow  enunciation,  and  lack  of 
magnetism  ;  to  Abraham  Lincoln,  with  his  resistless  logic 
and  quaint  humor;  to  Tom  Corwin,  Salmon  P.  Chase, 
William  H.  Seward,  Charles  Sumner,  and  Wendell 
Phillips ;  and  as  I  look  back  and  recall  what  they  said, 
and  the  effect  which  they  produced,  and  then  estimate 


10  TALKS    WITH   GREAT    WORKERS. 

what  they  might  do  with  the  highly  cultivated  and  criti- 
cal audiences  of  to-day,  I  see  the  opportunity  that  awaits 
the  young  man  here.  Only  Wendell  Phillips  strikes  me 
as  possessing  qualities  which  are  not  yet  duplicated  or 
surpassed. " 

WHAT    IS    SUCCESS. 

"  You  recognize  more  than  one  kind  of  success,  then  ?  " 
"  Yes  ;  we  can't  all  be  Presidents  of  the  United  States. 
Any  man  is  successful  who  does  well  what  comes  to  his 
hand,  and  who  works  to  improve  himself  so  that  he  may 
do  it  better.  The  man  with  the  ideal,  struggling  to  carry 
it  out,  is  the  successful  man.  Of  course,  there  are  all 
grades  of  ideals,  and  the  man  with  the  highest,  given 
the  proportionate  energy,  is  the  most  successful.  The 
world  makes  way  for  that  kind  of  young  man.  I  know 
we  would  do  it  in  the  railroad  world." 


HAPPINESS. 

"Do  you  consider  that  happiness  in  the  successful 
man  consists  in  reflecting  upon  what  he  has  done,  or 
what  he  may  do  ?  " 

"I  should  say  that  it  consists  in  both.  No  man  who 
has  accomplished  a  great  deal  could  sit  down  and  fold 
his  hands.  The  enjoyment  of  life  would  be  instantly 
gone  if  you  removed  the  possibility  of  doing  something. 
When  through  with  his  individual  affairs,  a  man  wants 
a  wider  field,  and  of  course  that  can  only  be  in  public 
affairs.  Whether  the  beginner  believes  it  or  not,  he  will 
find  that  he  cannot  drop  interest  in  life  at  the  end,  what- 
ever he  may  think  about  if  in  the  beginning." 


CHAUNCEY  M.    DEPEW.  11 


THE    AIM    IN    LIFE. 

"The  aim  of  the  young  man  of  to-day  should  be, 
then  —  '7 

"  To  do  something  worth  doing,  honestly.  Get  wealth, 
if  it  is  gotten  in  the  course  of  an  honorable  public  ser- 
vice. I  think,  however,  the  best  thing  to  get  is  the 
means  of  doing  good,  and  then  doing  it.  It  is  the  most 
satisfactory  aim  I  know  of." 


II. 

SIR  THOMAS  LIPTON : 

THE     GREAT     YACHT     SPORTSMAN,     WHO     TOOK 
AMERICAN   BUSINESS   METHODS   TO   ENGLAND. 


WHEN  I  saw  Sir  Thomas  Lipton  at  the  Fifth  Avenue 
Hotel  in  New  York,  he  kindly  consented  to  give  me  cer- 
tain facts,  relating  to  his  remarkable  business  career, 
that  are  of  great  interest. 

A    SON    OF    POVERTY. 

"  I  suppose,"  he  said,  "  you  have  read  that  I  am  the 
son  of  a  poor  laborer,  who  was  scarcely  able  to  give  me 
any  schooling  at  all.  We  lived  in  Glasgow,  my  parents 
and  I,  and  at  the  age  of  ten  I  was  obliged  to  quit  school 
and  go  to  work  as  a  messenger  in  a  stationery  store. 
My  wages,  while  I  occupied  that  position,  were  just  sixty 
cents  a  week,  so  you  see  I  did  not  have  anything  very  en- 
couraging to  which  to  look  forward.  I  was  ambitious, 
and  attended  a  night  school,  where  I  obtained  most  of 
the  education  that  I  have.  I  have  educated  myself,  and 
think  that  I  have  made  good  use  of  what  I  managed  to 
learn. 

"  As  I  said,  I  was  ambitious,  and  I  had  not  been  in  the 
stationery  store  very  long  before  I  ran  away  and  came  to 
America  in  the  steerage  of  an  Anchor  Line  boat.  My 

12 


SIR   THOMAS    LIPTON. 


SIR   THOMAS  LIPTON.  13 

parents  were  naturally  opposed  to  my  going  so  far  away 
from  home  alone,  and  refused  their  permission,  so  I  had 
to  run  away.  I  would  not  advise  boys  to  do  that,  as  a 
general  thing,  but  my  American  trip  certainly  did  me  a 
vast  amount  of  good.  When  I  arrived  on  this  side  I 
went  down  to  South  Carolina  and  worked  on  a  planta- 
tion, but  I  did  not  receive  my  wages  until  the  crops  were 
sold  in  the  fall,  and  I  did  not  like  that  very  well.  I  soon 
tired  of  South  Carolina  life,  and  came  from  Charleston 
to  New  York,  again  as  a  stowaway.  I  got  a  situation  of 
no  consequence  in  New  York,  and  remained  here  awhile ; 
but  finally,  deciding  that  America  was  not  the  place  for 
me,  I  returned  to  Glasgow,  discouraged  and  disheartened. 

WHEN    HE    BORROWED    FIVE    CENTS. 

"I  remember,  as  if  it  were  yesterday,"  said  Sir 
Thomas,  "how  utterly  hopeless  my  financial  condition 
seemed  to  be  when  I  was  a  boy  of  fifteen  in  New  York. 
My  experiences  were  anything  but  pleasant,  without 
work  as  I  was,  a  stranger  in  a  great  city.  I  got  used  to 
living  on  a  few  cents  a  day,  but  when  it  came  to  such  a 
pinch  that  I  could  not  buy  a  five-cent  stamp  to  carry  a 
letter  to  the  old  folks  in  Glasgow,  I  very  nearly  gave  up. 
I  really  think  that  decided  me  to  go  back.  It  accentuated 
my  homesickness.  I  thought  of  the  prodigal  son.  I  bor- 
rowed five  cents  for  that  letter,  and  resolved  to  get  back 
as  soon  as  a  chance  offered.  I  can  tell  you  I  was  glad 
when  I  once  more  set  foot  on  the  other  side.  I  had  re- 
frained from  telling  my  people  how  hard  up  I  had  been. 
This  was  largely  a  matter  of  pride  with  me,  but  another 
consideration  was  their  feelings.  I  would  do  anything 
rather  than  distress  them.  So  I  stepped  up,  on  my 
arrival,  as  jauntily  as  you  ever  saw  a  lad,  and  when  a 
proposition  was  made  to  me  by  my  father,  soon  after  my 


14  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

home-coming,  to  set  me  up  in  a  small  grocery,  I  jumped 
at  the  chance.  He  had  saved  up  a  few  hundred  dollars, 
which  he  loaned  me  for  capital,  I  opened  a  provision 
shop,  and  I  may  say  that  there  is  where  my  real  career 
began.  The  other  years  were  preparatory  lessons,  which 
fitted  me  for  my  later  career  as  a  merchant.  My  whole 
heart  was  in  this  first  little  shop,  and  I  dressed  the 
windows,  attended  to  the  customers,  and  did  everything 
myself.  I  was  careful  of  the  slightest  detail,  and  took 
care  that  my  customers  always  went  away  pleased  ;  and 
to  that  solicitude  on  my  part  in  those  days  I  owe  the 
greater  success  that  has  attended  my  later  efforts. 
My  little  shop  brought  great  success,  and,  encouraged 
by  this,  I  began  to  establish  other  shops  in  Glasgow  and 
other  cities,  until  finally,  by  degrees,  of  course,  I  ac- 
quired the  great  business  which  is  now  mine. 

FOLLOWED    AMERICAN    BUSINESS    METHODS. 

"  I  made  money  from  the  start.  I  put  in  practice 
what  I  had  seen  abroad  —  such  as  displaying  goods 
attractively  in  windows,  keeping  the  place  as  neat  as  a 
pin,  and  waiting  personally  on  my  customers.  I  have 
always  felt  that  my  American  experiences  have  proved 
valuable,  for  my  wits  were  sharpened,  and  my  commer- 
cial training  was  largely  obtained  on  this  side. 

"Every  business  idea,"  he  added  frankly,  "every  suc- 
cessful move  I  have  made,  has  been  suggested  to  me  by 
my  observation  of  American  methods.  Even  in  our 
boat,  our  <  Shamrock/  we  incorporated  a  great  many 
features  that  were  of  American  origin." 

THE    PRINCIPLES    ESSENTIAL    TO    SUCCESS. 

"  Are  there  any  special  principles  that  you  think  are 
essential  to  success  in  business  ?  " 


SIR    THOMAS  L1PTON.  15 

"  Well,  I  think  there  are.  For  one  thing,  it  is  a  rule 
of  my  business  to  do  away,  as  much  as  possible,  with  the 
middleman.  I  do  not  think  he  is  necessary,  and  he 
simply  takes  away  a  good  share  of  the  profits.  Further, 
I  of  course  believe  in  advertising.  I  think  every  up-to- 
date  business  man  does  that.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  the 
best  way  to  reach  the  public  is  through  the  papers,  for 
everybody  reads  nowadays.  I  am  now  spending  a  million 
dollars  a  year  in  advertising." 

THE    SHIPWRECK. 

A  characteristic  story  is  told  of  Sir  Thomas  by  a  ship- 
per who  knew  him  in  London.  A  merchant  vessel  car- 
rying a  cargo  of  tea,  and  with  plain  Thomas  J.  Lipton, 
merchant,  aboard,  was  threatened  with  shipwreck  in  the 
South  Atlantic.  A  furious  storm  had  driven  the  ship 
far  out  of  its  course.  It  was  leaking  badly,  and  threaten- 
ing rocks  rose  in  sight.  Mr.  Lipton  spent  the  last  hour 
before  the  vessel  was  dashed  on  the  rocks  and  lost,  in 
painting  the  words  "  Use  Lipton's  Teas  "  on  the  chests. 
These  were  afterwards  picked  up  on  various  shores,  and 
served  to  bring  the  merchant  into  his  first  prominence 
abroad.  All  the  ship's  company  got  ashore  safely  on  an 
inhabited  island,  from  which,  after  a  few  days,  came  a 
very  creditable  account  of  the  shipwreck  for  publication 
in  the  London  papers,  signed  "  Lipton."  The  story  that 
he  furnished  proved  a  great  advertisement,  introducing 
his  name  to  the  nation  at  large. 

HARD    WORK    THE    SECRET. 

"  But,  Sir  Thomas,"  I  asked,  continuing  the  interview, 
"  there  must  be  some  secret  about  your  success  ?  " 

"  Nonsense  ! "  he  replied.  "  This  secret  business  is 
all  nonsense.  I  have  simply  worked  hard,  devoted  my 


16  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

whole  time  to  my  business,  had  my  heart  in  it,  and  I 
could  not  help  succeeding.  If  every  healthy  young  man 
will  be  temperate,  work  hard  all  the  time,  and  do  unto 
others  as  he  would  be  done  by  he  cannot  help  succeeding. 
But  few  young  men  are  willing  to  work.  They  are  too 
particular  about  the  hours  they  spend  in  the  store  or 
office.  Why,  I  often  say  that  I  have  worked  twenty-five 
hours  out  of  twenty-four,  and  I  do  believe  that  I  get 
twice  as  much  done  in  a  day  as  do  most  men.  I  have 
never  been  afraid  of  hard  work,  and  have  worked  just  as 
hard  since  my  business  has  become  established  as  I  did 
before.  I  owe  almost  all  of  my  success,  I  think  I  can 
truthfully  say,  to  hard  work  and  nothing  else." 

"And  what  advice  would  you  give  young  men  who 
are  about  to  start  out  for  themselves,  Sir  Thomas  ?  " 

"  That 's  a  broad  question.  It  would  take  me  some 
time  to  answer  it  properly. 

"Hard  work  is  the  cardinal  requisite  for  success.  I 
always  feel  that  I  cannot  impress  that  fact  too  strongly 
upon  young  men.  And  then  a  person's  heart  and  soul 
must  be  in  his  work.  He  must  be  earnest,  above  all,  and 
willing  to  give  his  whole  time  to  his  work,  if  necessary. 

THE    GOLDEN    RULE    PAYS. 

"  Honesty,  it  goes  without  saying,  is  necessary,  and  if 
you  want  to  be  wholly  successful  you  must  do  unto  others 
as  you  would  have  them  do  unto  you.  If  you  do  not,  they 
will  be  sure  to  retaliate  when  you  least  expect  it.  If 
young  men  would  follow  these  rules  they  would  get 
along  very  well." 

THE    EXTENT    OF    HIS    BUSINESS. 

"  Your  business  must  be  an  enormous  one  now,  Sir 
Thomas,  from  the  stories  in  the  English  papers  about 


SIR    THOMAS  LIFT  ON.  17 

the  organization  of  your  enterprises  into  a  limited  com- 
pany." 

"  Yes,  I  have  a  good  deal  to  attend  to,"  he  said,  smil- 
ing. "I  have  sixty  stores  in  London  alone,  and  four 
hundred  and  twenty  the  world  over,  most  of  them  being 
in  the  British  Isles.  I  sell  all  food  products  except  beef, 
which  I  have  never  handled.  I  own  thousands  of  acres 
on  the  island  of  Ceylon,  where  I  am  the  largest  indi- 
vidual land-owner.  On  this  land  I  grow  tea,  coffee,  and 
cocoa,  and  employ  several  thousand  natives  to  cultivate 
and  ship  it.  I  have  warehouses  all  over  Asia,  and  branch 
stores  in  Hamburg  and  Berlin.  In  Chicago  I  have  a 
packing-house  where  I  sometimes  kill  three  thousand 
hogs  in  a  day.  So  you  see  my  enterprises  are  pretty 
well  scattered  over  the  earth. 

THE    KIND    OF    MEN    HE    EMPLOYS. 

"  How  many  employees  have  I  ?  Well,  all  in  all,  I 
have  somewhat  over  ten  thousand,  and  a  nicer  lot  of 
employees  you  never  saw.  I  have  never  had  a  strike, 
and  never  expect  to  have  one,  for  I  make  it  my  personal 
duty  to  see  that  my  men  are  all  comfortably  fixed.  We 
live  together  in  perfect  harmony.  I  am  very  careful 
about  the  kind  of  men  I  employ.  I  make  sure  that  every 
man  in  my  service  is  sober  and  of  general  good  character, 
as  well  as  a  good  worker.  That,  I  think,  is  one  of  the 
chief  aids  to  success." 

THE    CONFIDENCE    OF    THE    BRITISH    PUBLIC. 

Upon  the  occasion  of  converting  the  Lipton  business 
house  into  a  "  Limited  Company,"  more  than  two  hun- 
dred million  dollars  were  offered  in  two  days ;  the  mail 
for  those  two  days  comprising  forty  thousand  letters 
from  every  part  of  the  United  Kingdom. 


III. 


AMBITIOUS    TO    KISE     IN     LIFE —NEVER    BY 
LUCK. 

RUSSELL   SAGE   UPON   OPPORTUNITY,    INTEGRITY, 
PHYSICAL   VIGOR. 


FEW  great  fortunes  have  been  acquired  by  one  man, 
or  within  the  limits  of  a  single  lifetime.  The  vast 
wealth  of  the  Vanderbilts,  the  Astors,  and  many  others 
has  accumulated  through  several  generations.  It  is  sel- 
dom, indeed,  that  a  fortune  like  that  of  Russell  Sage  is 
amassed  by  one  man.  For  years  the  newspapers  of  the 
country  have  been  filled  with  stories  of  his  eccentricities. 

When  I  called  at  the  great  banker's  office  I  found  it 
very  hard  to  obtain  an  audience  with  Mr.  Sage,  even 
though  I  had  an  introduction  to  him.  He  has  so  often 
been  the  victim  of  cranks,  and  has  so  many  callers  at  his 
office,  that  he  has  been  obliged  to  deny  himself  to  all 
alike.  I  found  him  seated  at  an  old  flat-topped  desk, 
looking  over  the  stock  reports  of  the  day,  and  I  was  sur- 
prised at  the  extreme  simplicity  of  all  his  surroundings. 
The  furnishings  of  the  room  looked  as  if  they  might  have 
seen  service  before  the  Civil  War,  and,  upon  later  in- 
quiry, I  learned  that  most  of  the  chairs  and  the  desk 
itself  have  been  in  use  by  Mr.  Sage  for  more  than  twenty- 
five  years.  He  has  become  so  attached  to  them  that  he 

18 


RUSSELL   SAGE.  19 

cannot  discard  them  for  more  modern  inventions.  Mr. 
Sage  is  smooth-faced,  and  his  hair  is  thin  and  gray.  His 
clothes  are  fashioned  in  the  style  of  thirty  years  ago,  but 
of  good  material  and  well  kept.  His  shoulders  are  bent 
with  care  and  age,  but  his  face  has  a  good  color,  and  a 
happy  smile  that  betokens  health  and  a  peaceful  mind. 

"  I  have  come  to  ask  you  to  tell  me  the  story  of  your 
life,"  I  said,  "  for  I  am  sure  it  must  be  of  great  interest." 

Mr.  Sage  smiled.  "I  don't  know  about  its  being  of 
interest.  It  is  very  simple  and  commonplace  to  me. 
You  know  I  began  as  a  grocery  clerk,  in  a  country  town. 
That  is  a  very  humble  beginning,  I  'm  sure.  I  received  a 
dollar  a  week  for  working  from  early  morning  until  late 
at  night,  but  I  was  well  satisfied  with  my  lot,  because  I 
knew  that  it  was  bound  to  lead  to  better  things.  So  I 
worked  my  very  best,  and  saved  my  wages,  which  were 
slowly  increased  as  I  went  along,  and  finally  I  had 
enough  money  to  start  a  little  store  for  myself.  When  I 
was  twenty-one  years  old  I  had  a  store  of  my  own,  and  I 
made  a  success  of  it." 

"  But  how  did  you  happen  to  come  to  New  York  ?  "  I 
asked. 

"  Oh,  I  was  ambitious,"  laughed  Mr.  Sage.  "  Like 
most  boys,  I  thought  there  was  no  other  place  like  a  city 
for  success,  and  I  finally  sold  my  country  store  when  I 
was  still  very  young,  and  came  to  New  York.  I  started 
in  as  office  boy,  at  very  low  wages,  and  from  that  day  on 
I  worked  myself  up  and  up,  until  I  finally  became  a 
financier  on  my  own  account.  It  took  a  long  time, 
though.  It  was  not  all  accomplished  in  a  day ;  though 
when  I  came  to  New  York  I  expected  to  be  rich  in  two 
or  three  years.  I  was  very  much  like  other  boys,  you 
see.  They  all  expect  to  get  rich  in  a  day." 

"  But  some  of  them  never  get  rich,"  I  said. 


20  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

"  Well,  it 's  their  own  fault  if  they  do  not  succeed," 
said  the  financier.  "  Surely,  every  one  has  as  good  a 
chance  as  I  had.  I  don't  think  there  could  be  a  poorer 
opportunity  for  a  boy  to  rise.  The  trouble  is  that  most 
of  them  are  not  very  anxious  to  rise.  If  they  find  them- 
selves wealthy  some  morning  they  are  glad,  of  course; 
but  they  are  not  willing  to  work,  and  make  themselves 
rich." 

"  Some  say  that  it  is  all  luck,"  I  ventured  to  suggest. 

"  Oh,  pshaw ! "  said  Mr.  Sage,  with  'great  disgust. 
"  There 's  no  such  thing  as  luck.  I  'm  sure  there  was 
none  of  it  about  my  career.  I  know  just  how  I  earned 
every  penny,  and  the  reason  for  it,  and  I  never  got  any- 
thing I  did  n't  work  for.  I  never  knew  any  one  to  obtain 
lasting  wealth  without  lots  of  hard  work." 

"  Do  you  think  there  are  as  good  opportunities  for  get- 
ting rich  to-day  as  there  were  thirty  years  ago,  or  when 
you  made  your  start,  Mr.  Sage  ?  " 

'*  Undoubtedly.  I  think  there  are  even  greater  oppor- 
tunities, for  new  industries  are  being  established  all  the 
time,  and  there  are  broader  fields  to  work  in.  But  then, 
the  old  fields  of  business  are  not  overworked,  by  any 
means.  I  always  say  that  there  is  room  for  good  men 
anywhere  and  at  any  time.  I  don't  think  there  can  ever 
be  too  many  of  them.  It  is  true  that*  there  are  many  ap- 
plicants for  every  place  in  New  York,  but  if  I  were  un- 
able to  get  a  place  in  an  Eastern  city  I  should  go  West, 
for  there  are  great  opportunities  there  for  every  one." 

"  People  say,  though,  that  the  West  is  not  what  it  is 
supposed  to  be,"  I  remarked. 

"Yes,  there  are  always  pessimists,"  said  Mr.  Sage. 
"  The  people  who  say  the  West  has  no  opportunities  are 
the  same  persons  who  used  to  call  it  foolish  for  any 
young  man  to  come  to  New  York.  When  I  decided  to 


RUSSELL   SAGE.  21 

come  here,  I  was  told  on  every  side  that  I  would  regret 
my  action ;  but  I  never  have.  Some  people  never  see 
opportunities  in  anything,  and  they  never  get  along.  I 
did  not  see  any  very  great  opportunity  ahead  of  me  when 
I  came  to  New  York,  but  I  knew  that  if  I  had  a  chance 
I  could  make  one.  I  knew  that  there  are  always  open- 
ings for  energetic,  hard-working  fellows,  and  I  was 
right." 

"  Of  course,  you  believe  that  strict  honesty  is  essential 
to  success,  Mr.  Sage  ?  I  've  heard  many  people  say  that 
honesty  does  n't  pay,  especially  in  Wall  street." 

"  That  is  a  foolish  question,"  said  the  financier.  "  It 
is  absurd  to  imagine  that  it  pays  to  be  dishonest,  what- 
ever your  business  or  profession.  Do  you  suppose  if  I 
had  been  dishonest  in  any  dealings  when  I  started  out, 
that  I  would  be  worth  anything  to-day  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  think  of  the  chances  for  country  boys 
in  a  great  city  like  New  York  to-day,  Mr.  Sage  ?  " 

"  I  think  they  are  as  great  as  ever.  Employers  are  on 
the  lookout  for  bright  young  men,  and  I  believe  that  they 
would  prefer  that  they  come  from  the  country,  provided 
there  is  no  danger  of  their  becoming  dissipated.  I  think 
that  is  the  only  thing  men  have  against  country  fellows, 
and  there  are  many  things  in  their  favor.  I  think  an 
earnest,  ambitious,  hard-working  boy  from  the  country 
has  a  splendid  chance  of  becoming  somebody.  There  are 
much  greater  opportunities  for  him  to  exercise  his  good 
qualities,  and  the  reward  of  his  enterprise  is  much  larger. 
The  same  energetic  labor  that  would  make  a  man  worth 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  in  a  small  town  would  be 
very  likely  to  make  him  worth  a  hundred  thousand  or  so 
in  a  great  city,  and  all  on  account  of  the  wider  field." 

"  What,  Mr.  Sage,  are  the  essentials  of  success  ?  " 

"The  essentials  to  success,  in  my  opinion,  are  just 


22  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

three :  honesty,  industry,  and  economy.  Any  young 
man,  amid  existing  opportunities,  has  a  chance  of  becom- 
ing a  millionaire." 

"  To  what  do  you  owe  your  wonderful  vitality  ?  "  I 
asked.  Mr.  Sage  smiled,  before  answering  me. 

"  I  never  smoke,  I  never  drink  any  liquors,  I  retire  early, 
and  get  up  early,  arid  take  care  of  myself  in  every  possible 
way,"  he  said.  "  Do  n't  you  think  I  ought  to  be  healthy  ? 
I  have  always  taken  care  of  myself,  and  I  think  I  Ve 
proved  that  hard  work  is  not  bad  for  one's  health.  In 
fact,  I  think  that  work  is  the  best  thing  I  know  of  for 
improving  a  man's  constitution,  for  it  makes  a  good  ap- 
petite, and  encourages  digestion.  It  is  not  work  that 
ruins  so  many  men.  It 's  the  wine  they  drink,  and  the 
late  hours  they  keep,  and  their  general  dissipation.  I 
expect  to  be  at  my  desk  for  many  years  to  come,  and  just 
because  I  've  taken  good  care  of  myself. 

"  You  ask  me  why  I  don't  stop  work.  I  '11  do  it  if  you 
will  answer  me  one  question  :  <  What  else  can  I  do  that 
will  do  as  much  good  and  keep  me  as  well  ? '  Well,  you 
can't  answer  it  j  nobody  can." 


IV. 

WHEN  MRS.  EUSSELL  SAGE  WAS  A  GIRL. 

THE  WIFE  OF  THE  MILLIONAIRE  FINANCIER  TELLS 
OF  HER  EARLY  EFFORTS  TO  EARN  HER  OWN 
LIVING:  COMMON  SENSE  VIEWS  UPON  TRAINING 
GIRLS. 


"  WHAT  would  you  do  if  obliged  to  earn  your  own  liv- 
ing ? "  was  the  question  I  asked,  on  being  granted  an 
interview  with  Mrs.  Russell  Sage. 

"  I  had  to  earn  my  own  living  for  several  years," 
answered  Mrs.  Sage,  "  and  I  found  no  difficulty  in  doing 
it.  Like  many  other  families,  we  were  made  almost  des- 
titute by  the  great  panic  of  1837,  and  my  father  was 
unable  then  to  give  me  the  advantages  he  would  have 
offered  had  he  kept  his  fortune.  I  was  only  nine  years 
old  at  the  time  of  the  panic,  and  had  been  attending  a 
small  private  school  in  Syracuse,  where  we  lived.  I  had 
learned  to  read  and  write  and  spell,  and  was  quite  well 
educated  for  a  girl  in  those  days.  But  I  was  n't  satisfied 
with  what  I  knew ;  and,  appreciating  the  value  of  a  good 
education,  I  determined  to  go  to  some  higher  school,  even 
if  I  had  to  work  my  way  through.  In  those  days  girls' 
schools  were  very  scarce,  and  the  best  among  them,  per- 
haps, was  at  Mount  Holyoke,  Massachusetts.  I  was  n't 
contented  until  I  started  for  that  college.  Since  my 
father's  failure  I  had  remained  at  home,  helping  my 

23 


24  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

mother  with  the  housework,  and  my  ambition  was  about 
to  run  away  with  me,  when  I  saw  my  way  to  attend 
Mount  Holyoke  College.  I  found  that  I  could  pay  a  very 
small  tuition  fee,  and  help  with  the  housework  to  pay  for 
my  board,  and  I  determined  to  go." 

"  Did  you  finish  the  course  at  Mount  Holyoke  ?  " 
"  Oh,  no.  In  fact,  I  never  reached  that  place.  On  my 
way  to  the  school,  I  was  taken  very  sick  in  Troy.  When 
I  recovered,  my  uncle  wished  me  to  go  to  the  Troy  Fe- 
male Seminary ;  and  there  I  remained,  for  it  was  too  late 
to  start  with  the  freshman  class  that  year  at  Mount 
Holyoke." 

"  You  attended  Emma  Willard's  school,  did  n't  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  then  I  went  home  again  to  mother.     I  was 

needed  in  the  household.     Every  girl  knew  how  to  cook 

and  sew  and  make  beds  then,  even  when  she  had  a  good 

education  in  languages  and  the  sciences. 

"If  my  cook  should  leave  me  to-day  I  could  do  the 
work  myself,  without  running  all  over  the  city  for  another 
girl  before  we  could  have  anything  to  eat.  Girls  may 
never  have  to  cook  or  keep  house,  but  they  ought  to  know 
how  just  the  same.  A  woman  never  knows  when  she  is 
likely  to  be  in  reduced  circumstances,  and  for  that  as  well 
as  other  reasons  it  is  always  well  to  know  how  to  attend 
to  the  housework. 

"  I  remained  at  home  for  some  time.  Mother  could  n't 
spare  me.  At  length,  however,  I  felt  that  I  might  be  a 
burden  to  my  father,  who  never  recovered  from  his  losses 
in  1837,  so  I  determined  to  teach  for  my  living.  I  wanted 
to  put  the  education  for  which  I  had  worked  so  hard  to 
some  good  use.  I  went  to  Philadelphia  to  teach  in  what 
is  now  the  Ogontz  School.  It  was  hard  work.  Teachers 
had  no  specialties  in  those  days.  One  hour  I  would  be 
teaching  geography,  then  would  come  a  class  in  French, 


MRS.   RUSSELL   SAGE.  25 

and  then  grammar,  spelling,  and  other  studies  before  the 
day  was  over.  I  had  long  hours,  but  I  had  the  satisfac- 
tion of  feeling  that  I  was  paying  my  own  expenses  and 
living  to  some  purpose." 

"  But  if  you  were  a  girl  to-day,  Mrs.  Sage,  you  would 
probably  not  want  to  teach  school ;  there  are  so  many 
fields  open  to  women  now." 

"  Yes/'  she  replied  slowly,  "there  are  many  fields,  but 
most  of  them  are  not  just  what  I  should  want  my 
daughter  to  occupy,  if  I  had  a  daughter.  If  I  were  a  girl 
to-day,  I  'd  do  just  what  Louisa  M.  Alcott  did.  I  knew 
her  well,  before  and  after  she  became  famous.  She  said 
to  me  :  '  For  twenty  years  I  did  whatever  my  hands  found 
to  do,  —  cooked,  sewed,  taught,  nursed,  wrote, — then  all 
at  once  I  found  myself  famous,  as  I  never  could  have 
been  but  for  that  developing  diversity.7 

"  My  experience  in  earning  my  own  living,"  continued 
Mrs.  Sage,  "was  wholesome  and  invigorating.  Instead  of 
being  self-indulgent,  I  became  self-reliant.  I  had  been 
taught  all  sorts  of  work;  for  my  mother  believed,  as  I  do, 
that  no  bit  of  real  learning  can  be  useless.  To  me  it 
seems  that  the  root  of  failure  lies  often  in  the  thought 
that  you  can  do  but  one  thing,  and  must  do  that  or  noth- 
ing. Successful  people  are  those  who  take  what  comes 
to  hand,  and,  if  it  be  small,  wait  and  work  for  something 
better." 

"  Are  there  any  particular  things  that  you  think  a  girl 
can  do  and  earn  a  good  living,  Mrs.  Sage  ?  " 

"  Yes,  there  are.  In  my  capacity  of  president  of  the 
Women's  Hospital,  I  have  considerable  to  do  with  nurses, 
and  you  would  be  surprised  at  the  difficulty  we  have  in 
getting  good  ones.  We  have  hundreds  of  applicants,  but 
most  of  them  are  either  careless  or  incompetent,  and  we 
can't  keep  them.  You  hear  much  about  there  being  too 


26  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

many  nurses,  but  you  may  be  sure  there  are  not  too  many 
good  ones.  I  think  there  's  always  room  at  the  top  in 
every  profession,  and  if  a  girl  is  truly  ambitious,  and 
gives  her  whole  time  and  mind  to  her  work,  she  is  pretty 
sure  to  succeed." 

"  You  must  have  a  great  many  girls  coming  to  you  for 
help,  Mrs.  Sage  ?  " 

"  I  do,  indeed  ;  and  I  always  try  my  best  to  help  them, 
but  some  of  them  will  not  help  themselves,  so  I  can- 
not help  them.  Girls  nowadays  have  such  an  antipathy 
to  doing  housework.  I  have  a  young  friend  who  is 
obliged  to  earn  her  living,  and  I  wanted  her  to  take  a 
place  as  housekeeper  in  the  house  of  a  woman  I  know 
very  well.  The  woman  asked  her  if  she  could  make  a 
bed,  and  she  declined  the  place,  saying  that  she  knew 
nothing  at  all  about  bed-making.  She  knew  how  to  make 
a  bed  as  well  as  any  one,  but  she  thought  it  beneath  her 
dignity  to  do  it.  I  have  no  sympathy  for  such  women. 

"I  don't  understand  it.  I  'm  sure  it's  much  better  for 
a  girl  to  have  a  good  home  in  a  refined  family,  with  her 
board  and  room  furnished  her,  and  often  four  dollars  a 
week  besides,  than  for  her  to  stand  on  her  feet  from 
morning  till  night  in  some  crowded  store,  where  she  prob- 
ably won't  be  able  to  save  a  cent  from  her  slender  wages. 
I  tell  girls  that,  time  and  again ;  but  they  don't  think  that 
way,  and  the  consequence  is  that  housewives  have  hard 
work  to  get  good  girls,  and  the  stores  can  get  so  many 
of  them  that  they  only  pay  them  a  meagre  salary." 

"  I  suppose  girls  have  always  been  much  the  same  as 
they  are  now,"  I  said. 

"  I  don't  think  so,"  said  Mrs.  Sage.  "  I  know  if  I  had 
a  daughter  she  would  be  brought  up  very  differently  from 
the  way  most  girls  are  now.  She  would  know  how  to 
cook  and  sew,  and  she  would  be  taught  to  be  some  com- 


MRS.    RUSSELL   SAGE.  27 

fort  to  her  parents,  instead  of  being  always  out  visiting, 
or  attending  a  matinee  of  some  kind.  Some  girls  are  no 
more  comfort  to  their  parents,  nowadays,  than  if  they 
didn't  exist." 


V. 


ONE    OF    THE    MAKERS    OF    THE    NEW 
NEW  YORK. 


THE  name  of  Andrew  H.  Green  is  indissolubly  con- 
nected with  that  of  imperial  New  York.  When  the 
schoolboys  of  the  next  century  are  asked  to  indicate  her 
foremost  citizen  in  this,  the  period  of  her  political  renais- 
sance and  material  grandeur,  they  will  name  him  as  the 
man  who  placed  the  civic  crown  upon  her  brow.  As  the 
"  Father  of  Greater  New  York,"  he  will  find  his  most 
enduring  reputation,  although  he  has  many  other  claims 
to  distinction.  It  is  probably  true  that  no  other  individu- 
ality has  been  impressed  so  indelibly  upon  the  history 
of  the  metropolis  during  the  last  half  century. 

It  is  a  gratifying  circumstance  that  Mr.  Green  has 
lived  to  see  the  consummation  of  his  many  years  of  in- 
tensely active  and  beneficial  public  service.  Although 
no  longer  caring  to  hold  official  place,  he  wields  an  un- 
diminished  influence.  His  presence  on  half  a  dozen 
commissions,  on  twenty  boards  of  directors,  and  his 
membership  in  as  many  more  clubs  and  societies  attest 
his  physical  and  mental  activity  at  an  age  when  most 
men  think  seriously  of  retiring. 

I  found  him,  late  one  day,  after  he  had  passed  several 
hours  in  attending  to  the  large  business  interests  still 
committed  to  his  financial  care. 

28 


MAYOR   GREEN.  29 

"  Won't  you  tell  me  for  my  readers,"  I  asked,  when  he 
had  laid  aside  his  pen  and  dropped  into  an  easy  chair, 
"  some  of  the  benefits  of  honesty  in  public  life,  you  who 
had  the  distinction  of  typifying  it  in  the  Tweed  Ring 
days  ?  " 

A    BIT    OF    NEW    YORK    CITY    HISTORY. 

A  whimsical  smile  lighted  up  the  ex-comptroller's  face 
as  he  replied :  "  Your  question  implies  a  compliment 
that  was  not  paid  me  by  interviewers  twenty-eight  years 
ago.  My  course  was  not  always  referred  to  in  those 
days  as  an  illustration  of  honesty  in  public  life.  In  fact, 
I  was  unsparingly  criticised  in  many  quarters." 

His  remarks  had  reference  to  his  service,  at  the  time 
of  the  overthrow  of  the  Tweed  Ring,  in  rescuing  the 
treasury  of  New  York  from  the  harpies  who  were  prey- 
ing upon  it.  He  found  the  city  treasury  empty,  but  suc- 
ceeded in  raising  the  funds  necessary  to  pay  the  school- 
teachers and  others  who  were  clamoring  for  their  just 
dues.  Then,  in  face  of  a  clamor  that  would  have 
deterred  a  less  resolute  man,  he  cut  down  the  bills  of  all 
claimants  to  an  honest  figure,  heedless  alike  of  vilifica- 
tion and  praise.  Attempts  were  made  to  do  him  physical 
injury,  and  on  one  occasion  an  infernal  machine  was  re- 
ceived at  the  office,  sent,  no  doubt,  with  murderous  in- 
tent. Mr.  Green  remained  steadfast. 

"FROM  RICH  AND  RURAL  WORCESTER." 
Andrew  H.  Green  was  born  at  Green  Hill,  Worcester, 
Mass.,  the  home  of  his  ancestors  for  six  gener?tions. 
This  home  he  inherited,  and  occupies  every  summer  for 
a  brief  period.  He  came  to  New  York  when  a  boy,  and 
first  did  work  in  a  mercantile  capacity,  and  then  studied 
law.  He  did  not  seek  public  place. 

But  somehow  public  opinion  fastened  upon  him  as  a 


30  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

man  who  could  be  trusted  safely  with  great  interests,  and 
he  was  chosen  to  discharge  important  public  duties,  re- 
quiring absolute  integrity,  energy,  and  foresight.  For 
twelve  years  he  was  the  executive  officer  of  the  Park 
Commission,  and  was  regarded  almost  as  the  creator  of 
New  York's  magnificent  park  system.  To  his  efforts, 
also,  was  largely  due  the  establishment  of  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  the  Zoological  Gardens,  the 
Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  and  the  Meteorological 
Observatory.  His  crowning  work  for  the  people  of  his 
adopted  city  was  the  formation  of  "  Greater  New  York," 
with  an  extent  of  territory  adequate  to  any  increase  of 
population  or  of  demand  for  commercial  facilities  for 
many  years  to  come. 

NIAGARA    STATE    PARK,    TOO. 

The  creative  genius  of  this  many-sided  man  is  shown 
also  in  his  advocacy  of  the  purchase  of  the  Niagara's 
shore  by  the  State  of  New  York,  to  be  used  forever  by 
the  people  as  a  pleasure  ground,  instead  of  permitting  its 
beauties  to  be  bartered  for  coin  by  greedy  speculators. 
Daring  as  this  conception  was,  challenging  the  opposition 
of  vested  interests  at  Niagara,  and  setting  up  a  new 
function,  almost,  for  the  State  government,  it  became  an 
accomplished  fact  under  the  guiding  hand  of  Mr.  Green 
and  his  fellow-commissioners.  The  heritage  of  the 
people  was  redeemed  by  him.  At  a  recent  meeting  of 
the  Niagara  Reservation  Commission,  a  set  of  resolu- 
tions was  engrossed,  setting  forth  the  splendid  services 
of  Mr.  Green  in  this  connection,  and  changing  the  name 
of  Bath  Island,  just  above  the  falls,  to  Green  Island,  in 
his  honor. 

The  Hudson  River  Bridge,  another  of  his  pet  projects, 
he  expects  to  live  to  see  completed.  In  this  connection 


MAYOR    GREEN.  31 

he  worked  very  earnestly  to  secure  the  needed  permis- 
sion from  both  New  Jersey  and  New  York,  and  from  the 
United  States  government,  setting  forth  the  argument 
that,  if  the  limited  territory  of  Long  Island  needs  so 
many  bridges,  surely  the  territory  behind  New  Jersey, 
that  of  the  continent  itself,  with  its  teeming  population 
of  millions,  needs  one. 

HIS    VIGOROUS    OPINIONS. 

I  asked  his  opinion  of  the  average  public  official  of  to- 
day. 

"  I  can  best  answer  that  question,"  he  said,  "  by  stat- 
ing the  environments  which  surround  him.  The  people 
are  running  after  strange  gods,  after  money  kings. 
Prominence  has  come  to  be  a  perquisite  of  wealth,  not 
of  high  professional  or  industrial  attainments.  The  man 
is  most  admired  who  makes  the  most  millions  in  the  few- 
est years." 

There  was  earnestness  in  the  veteran's  tone  as  he  con- 
tinued : 

"It  is  unfortunate  that  such  a  perverted  taste  exists, 
for  it  exalts  the  conscienceless  capitalist  and  casts  down 
the  champion  of  the  people's  rights.  The  popular 
method  of  getting  rich  is  not  to  earn  money  legitimately, 
or  even  to  create  wealth  by  inventing  money-making 
devices,  but  to  secure  franchises  for  far  less  than  their 
value.  Now,  the  official  who  grants  a  valuable  franchise 
without  proper  compensation  is  as  bad  as  the  capitalist 
who  seeks  and  receives  it.  I  am  well  aware  that  my 
views  on  this  subject  are  unpopular,  that  the  thing  is 
being  done  every  day  by  persons  who  would  feel  highly 
indignant  if  you  called  their  action  by  its  right  name. 
I  believe,  too,  that  a  road  which  can  be  built  for  a  mil- 
lion ought  not  to  water  its  stock  up  to  more  than  fifty 


32  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

millions,  and  then,  by  charging  high  rates  for  passengers 
and  freight  service,  pay  dividends  on  the  whole  amount, 
without  making  some  return  to  the  municipality.  The 
way  the  street  railway  people  are  operating  things  now 
they  could  easily  afford  to  pay  a  sum  which  would  equal 
a  very  large  part  of  the  taxes  of  the  city.  They  charge 
five  cents  for  a  ride  that  in  Paris  or  Berlin  costs  the  pas- 
senger one-half  or  two-thirds  as  much." 

Mr.  Green  strongly  opposes  the  granting  of  the  under- 
ground rapid  transit  franchise  to  any  body  of  private 
capitalists.  Taking  down  a  copy  of  Lecky,  he  read  to 
me  the  following  extract,  as  setting  forth  his  own  views : 

"  It  is  not  the  existence  of  inherited  wealth,  even  on  a 
very  large  scale,  that  is  likely  to  shake  seriously  the 
respect  for  property  ;  it  is  the  many  examples  which  the 
conditions  of  modern  society  present  of  vast  wealth  ac- 
quired by  shameful  means,  employed  for  shameful  pur- 
poses, and  exercising  an  altogether  undue  influence  in 
society  and  in  the  state. 

"  THE    PROUD    RECORD    OF    A    USEFUL    LIFE. 

"When  triumphant  robbery  is  found  among  the  rich, 
subversive  doctrines  will  grow  among  the  poor.  When 
democracy  turns,  as  it  often  does,  into  a  corrupt  plutoc- 
racy, both  national  decadence  and  social  revolution  are 
being  prepared.  No  one  who  peruses  modern  socialist 
literature,  no  one  who  observes  the  current  of  feeling 
among  the  masses  in  the  great  towns,  can  fail  to  perceive 
their  deep,  growing,  and  not  unreasonable  sense  of  the 
profound  injustices  of  life." 

One  cannot,  indeed,  talk  long  with  Andrew  H.  Green 
without  receiving  distinctly  clear  impressions  of  the 
value  of  sterling  integrity  as  an  aid  to  success.  Here  is 
a  man  who  has  built  up  a  character  while  others  have 


MAYOR    GREEN.  33 

been  content  to  pile  up  fortunes.  He  watched  his 
friends  acquire  millions,  while  he  worked  for  his  city 
and  his  State  with  such  conspicuous  ability  that  he  will 
leave  no  less  than  six  grand  monuments  to  his  memory 
—  the  modern  New  York  school-house,  Central  Park,  the 
American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  the  Niagara 
State  Park,  Eiverside  Park,  and  Greater  New  York. 
Who  shall  say  that  he  has  not  succeeded  far  better  in 
the  race  of  life,  in  the  prize  of  an  approving  conscience, 
in  the  affectionate  regard  of  his  fellowmen,  than  some  of 
the  great  millionaires  who  control  vast  wealth  and  vast 
properties  ? 


VI. 


DOWNRIGHT    HAKD   SENSE  AS  TO  THE  WAY 
TO  MAKE  MONEY : 

THE    STORY    OF    A    CONNECTICUT     CLOCK    PEDDLER 
WHO  BUILT   A  TRANSCONTINENTAL  RAILWAY. 


"  I  NEVER  worry  about  to-morrow,"  said  the  late  Collis 
P.  Huntington  to  me  when  I  called  upon  him.  "  To- 
morrow will  take  care  of  itself  ;  not  yesterday.  To-day 
is  the  all-important  issue.  Yes,  that  is  my  advice  to 
young  men  —  to  appreciate  the  value  of  to-day.  It  has 
been  my  rule  through  life  —  not  to  look  forward,  for  the 
future  is  a  blank.  We  do  not  know  what  it  will  reveal. 
It  may  alter  the  general  plan  of  your  life." 
"  Then  you  have  drifted  with  the  tide  ?  " 
"  I  have  never  gone  against  it,  nor  worried  while  my 
schemes  were  maturing.  A  farmer  sows  a  field  of  wheat. 
Now  what  is  the  sense  of  worrying  over  the  crop  ?  It 
merely  saps  his  energy.  The  wheat  again  requires  his 
attention  at  the  time  of  harvest. 

ON  HIS  FATHER'S  FARM. 

"  When  I  was  a  boy  on  my  father's  farm  in  Connecti- 
cut I  utilized  every  moment,  and  worked  hard,  for  there 
was  plenty  to  do.  But  if  I  had  any  spare  time  and  the 
opportunity  offered,  I  did  chores  for  the  neighbors.  For 

34 


C.   P.    HUNTINGTON.  35 

instance,  I  picked  apples,  or  did  anything  that  added  to 
my  savings.  I  never  wanted  for  anything  that  I  needed ; 
I  always  got  it.  But  very  many  buy  things  they  do  not 
need.  In  consequence,  when  I  came  to  New  York,  in  1836, 
I  had  quite  a  sum  of  money  ;  the  outcome  of  my  savings, 
judicious  investments,  and  little  trades  about  the  neigh- 
borhood. 

"  The  great  secret  of  success  is  laying  by  a  nest-egg, 
and  adding  to  your  little  store,  —  never  spending  more 
than  you  make,  and  being  strictly  economical.  Again,  a 
young  man  should  command  what  he  is  worth,  and 
should  always  keep  his  eyes  open  to  better  himself.  I 
have  been  my  own  master  since  I  was  sixteen  years  old. 

GOING   TO    COLLEGE. 

"  Certain  classes  of  young  men,"  continued  Mr.  Hunt- 
ington,  looking  around  his  library,  lined  with  books, 
"make  a  mistake  in  going  to  college.  They  lose  the 
most  receptive  and  important  part  of  their  lives  —  from 
seventeen  to  twenty-one  —  in  filling  themselves  with 
knowledge  of  other  men's  deeds  that  can  be  of  no  practi- 
cal use  to  the  commercial  world.  They  are  graduated 
with  exalted  ideas  ;  and  when  it  comes  to  earning  bread 
and  butter  they  are  at  a  loss  to  know  which  way  to  turn, 
and  most  frequently  commence  with  a  small  sum,  minus 
the  experience  that  would  have  fitted  them  for  some- 
thing better. 

MILLIONAIRE'S  LIVES  NOT  INSPIRING. 
"  I  do  not  think  the  life  of  one  who  has  accumulated  a 
hundred  millions,  more  or  less,  although  interesting,  is 
inspiring.  It  dazzles  and  bewilders  the  struggling  lad, 
or  young  man.  It  may  be  inspiring  for  the  time  being, 
but  the  inspiration  wears  off.  No  one  can  follow  in  the 


36  TALKS    WITH   GREAT   WORKERS. 

footsteps  of  another.  He  must  work  out  his  own  destiny. 
But  if  he  observes  the  rules  of  honesty,  integrity,  and 
economy,  and  fears  God,  he  has  just  as  good  a  chance  as 
any  man  that  may  be  cited. 


"  I  have  had  a  hundred  thousand  people  in  my  employ 
in  different  parts  of  the  world,  at  the  same  time,  and 
have  had  pretty  good  opportunities  to  study  mankind. 
In  my  mercantile  life  I  have  noticed  the  man  who  ar- 
rives at  his  post  on  time,  and  not  one  minute  later,  and 
who  leaves  on  the  minute,  and  not  one  second  later.  He 
does  no  more  than  he  has  to  do,  and,  naturally,  does  not 
do  that  well,  for  he  gauges  himself.  Then  there  is  the 
man  who  arrives  ahead  of  time,  and  works  late  if  there 
is  anything  to  be  finished.  The  latter  takes  an  interest 
in  his  work,  and  is  anxious  to  be  advanced.  We  wonder 
what  we  should  do  if  he  should  decide  to  leave,  for  it  is 
recognized  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  fill  his  place. 
But  in  regard  to  the  man  who  watches  the  clock  we  are 
indifferent,  and  would  probably  never  miss  him. 

SAVING   MONEY. 

"  I  have  known  young  men  in  my  employ  to  come  to  me 
and  ask  to  be  advanced.  If  I  knew  the  applicant  to  be 
worthy,  and  I  could  not  comply  with  his  request,  I  have 
advised  him  to  start  out  for  himself,  and  have  loaned  him 
five  or  six  hundred  dollars  to  establish  himself,  but  never 
to  a  man  who  had  not  saved,  for  that  is  money  thrown 
away. 

"  In  regard  to  myself,  —  I  live  within  my  means.  I 
have  never,  in  the  course  of  my  life,  overstepped  that 
line. 


C.    P.    HUNTINGTON.  37 


ADVICE    THROWN    AWAY. 

"  Advice  is  thrown  away  on  a  boy  or  young  man  who 
considers  it  beneath  him  to  work  at  anything  which 
hardens  the  hands  or  soils  the  garments,  but  who  prefers 
a  clerkship  in  a  store  or  office  at  starvation  wages.  Good 
clothes  should  not  be  worn  at  the  expense  of  a  career. 
To  the  man  who  is  not  afraid  of  downright  hard  work  I 
would  suggest  frugality,  investing  surplus  earnings,  if 
only  a  dime  a  day,  in  a  savings  bank,  and  reading  useful 
books  during  leisure  hours. 

"  Yet  there  is  another  principle  that  must  be  obeyed 
—  business  before  pleasure.  There  was  to  be  an  impor- 
tant meeting  here  to-night,  but  one  of  the  gentlemen  said 
he  could  not  attend,  because  he  said  he  had  to  go  to  an 
entertainment  with  his  wife.  I  have  never  allowed  any 
social  obligation  to  interfere  with  a  business  engage- 
ment. 

"  As  to  the  chances  to-day,  they  are  as  good  as  ever 
before,  and  better.  You  cannot  point  the  way  for  another. 
If  he  is  in  earnest,  and  adheres  to  the  principles  I  have 
stated,  he  will  strike  the  road  for  himself,  and  reap  his 
rewards. 

"  One  more  thing  I  will  name :  A  young  man  does  not 
want  to  bother  over  what  rumor  has  to  say  about  him. 
I  have  never  cared  a  cent  what  any  human  being  said  or 
thought  about  my  actions,  so  long  as  I  was  satisfied.  It 
is  my  idea  that  a  man's  business  should  be  his  first 
thought  and  care.  It  has  always  been  mine.  In  conse- 
quence, I  suppose  there  are  a  great  many  things  about 
which  I  know  less  than  the  average  man,  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  I  am  very  certain  that  there  is  nobody  who 
knows  more  about  my  business  than  I  do.  I  never  leave 
my  game  to  play  with  another  fellow  at  the  other  fel- 


38  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

low's  game,  as  the  saying  is.  Lots  of  sorrow  lias  been 
caused  in  this  world  by  men  meddling  at  a  game  regard- 
ing which  they  knew  nothing,  with  fellows  who  did. 

EARLY   MARRIAGE. 

"  False  pride  is  an  enormous  obstacle  to  business  suc- 
cess. I  know  young  men  in  New  York  City  who  would 
not  carry  a  trunk  along  Fifth  avenue  if  you  would  give 
them  all  the  frontage  they  could  pass,  simply  because 
they  would  be  afraid  that  they  would  meet  some  girl  that 
they  know. 

"  I  heartily  believe  in  a  young  man  marrying  early  in 
life,  if  he  can  marry  a  sensible  girl  who  is  willing  to  do 
her  own  work,  —  cooking  and  ironing,  —  and  beautiful 
work  it  is,  too,  if  she  will  only  think  so.  If  she  ivill  help 
him  a  young  man  can  live  cheaper  that  way  than  he 
can  board;  but  if  the  young  lady  is  marrying  simply  be- 
cause she  hopes  to  find  a  life  of  comparative  ease  I  think 
it  would  be  much  better  for  the  young  man  to  stay 
single." 

HIS    FIRST    BUSINESS    VENTURE. 

Regarding  his  first  business  venture,  Mr.  Huntington 
said: 

"I  guess  I  didn't  make  my  'first  thousand/  about 
which  so  many  men  have  told.  I  had  n't  accumulated 
anything  like  that  amount  when  I  made  the  venture 
which  brought  me  so  far  above  the  one-thousand-dollar 
mark  that  I  imagined  myself  in  comparative  affluence. 
You  know  I  had  gone  to  New  York  when  I  was  sixteen 
years  of  age,  and  I  had  gradually  accumulated  a  varie- 
gated assortment  of  property  which,  as  I  look  back  upon 
it,  could  not  have  been  of  much  value.  However,  I  suc- 
ceeded in  trading  off  those  holdings  for  a  lot  of  one  thou- 
sand clocks.  I  sent  them  out  in  consignments  of  varying 


G.   P.    HUNTINGTON.  39 

sizes  to  the  small  towns  along  the  route  of  the  Erie  canal, 
and  then  in  about  a  week  I  'started  to  follow  them. 
Well,  I  stopped  at  every  town,  and  in  the  end  I  sold  my 
entire  lot  of  clocks  at  five  dollars  each,  and  practically 
netted  five  thousand  dollars." 

HIS    START    FOR    CALIFORNIA. 

Soon  after  his  successful  investment  in  clocks  he  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  business  with  his  brother,  Solon 
Huntington,  at  Oneonta,  New  York.  He  was  engaged  in 
this  and  similar  pursuits  for  some  years,  learning,  as  he 
said,  to  keep  promises  so  scrupulously  as  to  enlist  the 
confidence  of  the  public,  and  mastering  the  harder  task 
of  being  agreeable  to  even  the  most  obnoxious  customers. 
When  the  gold  fever  broke  out  in  1849,  the  young  man 
of  twenty-eight  immediately  started,  by  way  of  the  Isth- 
mus of  Panama,  for  California,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
hardware  business.  That  same  hardware  firm  is  still  in 
existence,  and  Mr.  Huntington  retained  his  interest  in  it 
all  his  life.  Mr.  Huntington  never  had  the  gold  fever 
himself,  but  he  realized  instinctively  from  a  mercantile 
standpoint  the  possible  business  opportunities  of  Cali- 
fornia. 

HIS    CAREER    AS    A   RAILWAY    BUILDER. 

When  the  Pacific  Railway  project  was  brought  up, 
Mr.  Huntington  was  one  of  the  first  to  see  its  advantages 
and  its  practicability.  His  partner,  Mark  Hopkins,  was 
thoroughly  in  sympathy  with  the  idea,  and  the  two  men 
joined  with  Leland  Stanford  and  Charles  Crocker,  form- 
ing an  association  which  furnished  the  necessary  funds 
for  a  survey  over  the  mountains.  This  survey  was  all 
that  was  needed  to  demonstrate  the  feasibility  of  the 
plan  for  establishing  communication  between  the  Mis- 


40  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

souri  and  the  Pacific  coast ;  and  the  four  men  mentioned 
formed  the  Central  Pacific  Railway  Company. 

History  has  recorded  the  seemingly  insurmountable 
obstacles  which  were  overcome  in  constructing  the  road, 
which  was  finally  opened  in  1869.  It  had  scarcely  been 
completed  when  Huntington  plunged  into  the  building 
of  the  Southern  Pacific. 

Then  followed  the  construction  of  the  other  roads  — 
the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio,  the  Chesapeake  and  South- 
western, the  Kentucky  Central,  the  Elizabethtown,  Lex- 
ington and  Big  Sandy,  and  the  Louisville,  New  Orleans 
and  Texas,  until  Huntington  could  ride  on  his  own  rail- 
road tracks  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific. 

Mr.  Huntington's  later  years  were  quite  as  full  of  ac- 
tivity as  his  youth.  His  interests  on  the  high  seas  were 
very  extensive,  and  included  the  Pacific  mail  steamers, 
which  represented  an  outlay  of  millions  of  dollars.  Then, 
too,  he  was  almost  the  sole  owner  of  the  great  ship-build- 
ing plant  at  Newport  News,  Virginia.  Four  United 
States  battleships  and  one  monitor  were  being  built  there, 
and  more  than  five  thousand  men  were  employed  in  the 
work. 


VII. 

BUILDING  UP  A  GREAT  SHIPPING  HOUSE. 


WHEN  I  conversed  with  William  R.  Grace,  ex-Mayor 
of  New  York,  aiid  asked  liim  the  secret  of  success,  he 
replied,  epigrammatically : 

"  Stick-to-it-iveness." 

To-day  the  ships  of  W.  K.  Grace  and  Company  are 
known  all  over  the  globe.  They  do  the  greater  part  of 
the  carrying  trade  between  the  United  States  and  the 
west  coast  of  South  America.  The  complete  revolution 
of  what  might  be  called  the  American  intercontinental 
trade  is  due  to  the  brain  and  daring  of  this  remarkable 
man.  I  say  "  daring,"  because  many  of  the  enterprises 
in  which  he  has  engaged  have  been  dazzling  in  their 
financial  magnitude,  and  have  involved  the  exercise  of 
almost  incredible  courage.  But  it  is  a  characteristic  of 
Mr.  Grace  that  nothing  is  too  big  for  him  to  undertake, 
so  long  as  he  has  faith  in  it,  and  his  faith  is  not  lightly 
won.  Results  of  immeasurable  consequence  to  the  whole 
commercial  world  have  been  attained  by  a  man  who, 
fifty-three  years  ago,  landed  in  New  York  without  money 
and  friends,  and  who,  at  that  time,  little  dreamed  that 
he  would  be  twice  mayor  of  the  leading  city  of  the  West- 
ern Hemisphere,  although,  even  then,  his  ambitions 
seem  to  have  been  almost  Napoleonic.  Some  men  acquire 
large  fortunes  in  extremely  narrow  channels,  and  are 
little  known,  and  of  little  benefit  to  the  world  at  large. 
Mr.  Grace  was  actuated  by  the  ambition  not  only  to  ac- 

41 


42  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

quire  wealth,  but  to  be  a  great,  broad  influence  in  the 
commercial  world.  He  has  won  both,  and  to-day  is  the 
most  influential  figure  in  the  commerce  between  the  two 
American  continents. 

To  meet  Mr.  Grace  on  Broadway  strolling  (he  never 
seems  in  a  hurry)  down  to  his  office  one  would  imagine 
him  a  comfortable  country-town  merchant  pursuing  the 
even  tenor  of  his  way ;  but  just  run  counter  to  him,  and 
one  is  most  mightily  undeceived.  He  bristles  at  every 
point  with  energy,  enterprise,  and  quick  antagonism.  He 
is  terse,  epigrammatic,  and  caustic. 

HE   TOLD    HIS    STORY    TO    HELP    OTHERS. 

Mr.  Grace  is  extremely  averse  to  talking  of  himself, 
but  when  he  was  convinced  that  what  he  could  say  might 
be  a  stimulant  in  the  right  direction  for  some  boy,  he 
consented  to  give  a  brief  account  of  some  of  his  experi- 
ences. 

The  ex-mayor  was  seen  at  the  offices  of  W.  R.  Grace 
and  Company,  which  occupy  nearly  all  of  the  old  Cotton 
Exchange  Building,  facing  Hanover  Square.  The  office 
rooms  are  filled  with  manly-looking  clerks,  bustling  about 
in  their  shirt  sleeves,  and  they  are  littered  with  samples 
of  all  sorts  of  things,  from  all  sorts  of  places  throughout 
the  habitable  world. 

Mr.  Grace  is  sixty-seven  years  old,  and  comes  of  a 
highly  respectable  Queens  County  (Ireland)  family.  His 
father  lost  a  part  of  his  fortune  in  Venezuela  during  the 
early  part  of  this  century,  and  so  the  lad,  like  many 
American  boys,  while  of  first-class  antecedents,  started 
with  an  empty  purse. 

AMBITIOUS    AS    A    BOY. 

As  a  boy  Mr.  Grace  was  very  ambitious,  and  ran  away 
from  home  when  only  fourteen.  He  came  over  here  and 


MAYOR   GRACE.  43 

knocked  about  for  a  while,  doing  anything  he  could.  He 
recollects  at  one  time,  during  his  first  stay  in  the  United 
States,  boarding  with  a  shoemaker,  working  for  a  printer, 
and  in  fact  turning  his  hand  to  anything  that  was  reputa- 
ble, and  at  all  remunerative.  The  possibilities  of  a 
serious  career  did  not  weigh  very  heavily  upon  him  at 
that  time,  but  he  was  greatly  impressed  with  the  oppor- 
tunities that  were  offered  by  America  to  a  young  man 
willing  to  grasp  them.  After  a  stay  of  a  few  years  young 
Grace  returned  to  the  Old  Country,  and  through  the 
financial  aid  of  his  sister  he  then  went  to  Callao,  Peru. 

An  incident  that  happened  within  a  few  days  after  his 
arrival  in  Peru  perhaps  helped  a  great  deal  to  form  his 
principles.  There  was  an  argument  in  progress  one 
evening  between  some  American  and  English  sailors. 
Sailors'  arguments,  at  that  time,  were  usually  wound  up 
with  fisticuffs.  The  Americans  seemed  to  be  getting  the 
worst  of  it,  and  Grace  turned  to  and  helped  them,  with 
the  result  that  they  carried  the  day.  But  when  he  got 
to  his  room  that  night  he  made  up  his  mind  firmly  that 
it  was  not  to  mix  in  sailors'  brawls  that  he  had  come  to 
Peru,  nor  to  waste  his  time  as  he  saw  the  majority  of  the 
foreign  residents  doing ;  and  this,  he  says,  formed  one  of 
the  principles  he  has  always  followed  since,  —  that  is, 
stick-to-it-iveness,  industry,  strict  attention  to  the  main 
object  in  life. 

Almost  anybody  who  followed  these  principles  in  Peru 
at  the  time  he  went  there,  so  he  says,  would  have  been 
successful,  because  opportunities  were  numerous,  and  it 
needed  only  a  man  who  could  catch  an  opportunity, 
quickly  dispose  of  it,  and  be  on  the  lookout  all  the  time 
for  others. 

Shortly  after  young  Grace  reached  Peru  he  obtained 
a  clerkship  in  a  shipping  house  of  fair  standing,  and 


44  TALKS    WITH   GREAT   WORKERS. 

within  a  short  time  became  a  member  of  the  firm,  and  later 
he  secured  control  of  it.  From  this  house  the  firm  of 
Grace  Brothers  and  Company  finally  grew,  attaining  one 
of  the  most  prominent  positions  of  any  of  the  houses,  of 
whatever  nationality,  in  Peru.  Mr.  Grace  spent  a  great 
deal  of  his  time  travelling  in  the  interests  of  his  business, 
to  which  he  was  always  very  attentive,  and  finally,  when 
his  position  in  Peru  was  assured,  he  concluded  to  make 
New  York  the  base  of  his  operations,  and  to  enter  into 
the  trade  from  the  standpoint  of  a  merchant  at  this  end 
as  well  as  at  the  other.  The  business  here  was  established 
in  1865.  As  it  grew  Mr.  Grace  associated  his  brothers, 
Michael  P.  Grace  and  John  W.  Grace,  in  it  with  himself. 
A  branch  house  was  opened  in  London,  another  in  San 
Francisco,  the  business  in  Callao  was  extended  to  the 
capital,  Lima,  and  other  branches  were  opened  in  Chili, 
where  the  house  now  has  three  establishments, — at  Val- 
paraiso, Santiago,  and  Concepcion.  The  firm  has  played 
a  very  prominent  part  in  the  business  of  these  countries. 


Mr.  Grace  is  a  firm  believer  in  keeping  abreast  of  the 
times,  and  he  says  that  it  is  one  of  his  fixed  ideas  to  sur- 
round himself  with  bright,  intelligent,  and  industrious 
young  men,  with  whom  he  always  confers  freely,  and 
whose  ideas  are  largely  influential  in  forming  his  own. 
He  most  cordially  receives  suggestions,  and  uses  his  own 
judgment  in  accepting  or  rejecting.  He  has  some  fixed 
rules  and  maxims,  which  he  quotes  occasionally  for  the 
benefit  of  his  aides.  One  of  these  is :  "  When  you  don't 
know  what  to  do  don't  do  anything." 

Following  his  principle  of  keeping  abreast  of  the  times, 
Mr.  Grace  had  his  business  incorporated  a  few  years  ago, 
that  there  might  be  no  question  of  its  continuity. 


MAYOR   GRACE.  45 

Mr.  Grace  was  an  early  believer  in  the  possibilities  of 
long-voyage  steamer  trade,  and  established  the  pioneer 
direct  steam  service  from  the  United  States  to  the  west 
coast  of  South  America.  The  full  voyage  of  one  of  these 
ships  is  equal  to  the  circumference  of  the  world,  and  all 
of  the  ships  engaged  in  this  service  were  especially  built 
for  it. 

Mr.  Grace  is  a  natural  organizer,  and  interested  in  a 
great  many  enterprises.  He  is  the  president  of  the  In- 
gersoll-Sergeant  Drill  Company,  a  concern  which  has  been 
foremost  in  the  application  of  compressed  air.  He  also 
organized  the  Nicaragua  Canal  Syndicate,  a  body  of  New 
York  capitalists,  which  obtained  a  concession  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  canal  at  a  time  when  European  efforts 
in  that  direction  seemed  probable,  and  thus  saved  the 
waterway  to  the  United  States.  Mr.  Grace  is  a  trustee 
of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company,  of  the  Termi- 
nal Warehouse  Company,  the  Central  and  South  Ameri- 
can Telegraph  Company,  and  is  a  director  of  the  Lincoln 
bank  and  the  City  Trust  Company.  He  is  also  president 
of  the  Sevilla  Home  for  Children. 

THE    GRACE    INSTITUTE. 

In  later  years  Mr.  Grace  has  relieved  himself  to  some 
extent  from  the  management  of  his  vast  business  inter- 
ests and  has  found  time  to  devote  his  abilities  to  a  prac- 
tical philanthropic  purpose.  He  and  his  brother,  Michael 
P.  Grace,  established  "  Grace  Institute "  in  memory  of 
their  father  and  mother,  and  in  gratitude  to  New  York, 
—  the  scene  of  their  early  start  for  success.  The  object 
of  the  Institute  is  to  afford  protection,  instruction,  and 
assistance  to  young  women.  They  are  taught  in  the 
domestic  arts  and  sciences  —  cooking,  laundry  work, 
sewing  and  dressmaking ;  and  in  stenography,  typewrit- 


46  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

ing,  and  other  occupations  and  trades  in  which  women 
may  be  employed.  Five  hundred  graduates  of  the  In- 
stitute are  annually  put  in  the  way  of  earning  their  living. 


Like  most  successful  men,  Mr.  Grace  has  a  vivid  ap- 
preciation of  a  bright  and  suggestive  thought,  whatsoever 
the  source.  He  relates,  in  this  connection,  an  incident 
of  his  youthful  career  in  Peru,  which  tended  to  improve 
his  knowledge  of  human  nature.  He  had  just  entered 
into  a  contract  of  partnership,  when  a  big  Irishman 
named  Jack  McCarthy,  respected  and  well-to-do,  who 
had  seen  Grace  and  liked  him,  said  to  him : 

"Here,  Grace,  I  have  been  watching  you  ever  since 
you  came  here,  and  I  think  you  are  of  the  right  sort. 
Now  I  have  taken  a  lease  of  this  store  next  to  the  post- 
office,  and  I  '11  put  in  a  business  there  thirty  thousand 
dollars  cash  against  your  brains." 

Of  course,  being  pledged  in  another  direction,  he  could 
not  do  anything  with  McCarthy,  but  he  recommended  a 
friend  with  whom  both  were  acquainted.  McCarthy's 
reply  was  so  full  of  pith  that  it  has  always  remained 
with  Mr.  Grace.  The  man  he  spoke  of  was  a  very  bright 
fellow  whom  he  knew  very  well,  of  very  good  education 
and  spotless  character.  His  Irish  friend  listened  to  his 
plea  for  this  young  man,  and  then  rendering  his  decision 
in  the  sentence  — "  Och,  he  's  all  used  up  with  educa- 
tion," —  he  made  a  description  of  the  man  which  fitted 
exactly,  and  the  soundness  of  which  Mr.  Grace  always 
remembered. 

It  is  almost  needless  to  remind  the  reader  that  Mr. 
Grace  was  elected  Mayor  of  New  York  in  1880,  and  again 
in  1884,  serving  two  terras  which  were  noted  for  their 
strength,  vigor,  and  fearlessness. 


VIII. 

THE    FINANCIAL    VALUE    OF    "A    GOOD 
BUSINESS    STANDING." 


"  SUCCESS  in  Wall  street  is  attained,  as  a  rule,  the 
same  way  as  elsewhere.  There  is  no  royal  road  to 
wealth,  even  in  speculation.  Popular  fancy  pictures 
men  as  growing  rich  in  a  day  in  dealing  in  stocks. 
They  do  so  rarely,  and  they  grow  poor  in  an  hour, — 
often. 

"  No,  Wall  street  is  no  place  for  the  man  who  expects 
to  amass  a  fortune  in  a  hurry,  although  he  is  much  in 
evidence  here.  He  brings  his  money  with  him  with  the 
expectation  of  having  it  multiplied  immediately  ;  he  has 
his  ups  and  downs,  and,  after  a  while,  departs,  almost 
invariably  without  his  money.  He  is  greatly  surprised 
and  disappointed,  of  course,  and  often  thinks  he  is  an 
unfortunate  exception  to  the  general  rule ;  whereas,  his 
experience  is  in  strict  conformity  with  the  rule,  —  a  rule 
which,  in  the  long  run,  is  as  inevitable  in  its  working  as 
a  natural  law.  There  is  nothing  in  it  to  wonder  at.  The 
outsider  in  Wall  street  is  a  man  who  is  embarking  in 
a  business  without  knowing  its  first  principles.  He  has 
plenty  of  advice,  of  course  ;  but  it  is  a  rare  thing  to  suc- 
ceed on  advice  alone.  To  be  successful  in  Wall  street, 
as  elsewhere,  you  must  know  your  business." 

Nobody  knows  the  business  of  buying  and  selling 

47 


48  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

stocks  better  than  Stephen  V.  White,  familiarly  called 
"  Deacon "  White,  because  of  his  activity  and  promi- 
nence in  Plymouth  Church,  Brooklyn,  particularly  dur- 
ing the  pastorate  of  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  who  was  his 
intimate  friend.  When  ushered  into  Mr.  White's  office 
I  was  greeted  with  a  handshake  by  a  small,  elderly  man, 
with  a  rather  rotund  figure,  a  round  face  that  is  expres- 
sive of  both  determination  and  geniality,  and  eyes  that 
look  out  very  sharply  from  behind  a  pair  of  old-fashioned 
spectacles. 

CHARACTER    AND     COMPREHENSION     AS     FOUNDATION 
STONES. 

"To  succeed,  you  must  know  your  business,"  Mr. 
White  repeated,  "  and  to  learn  any  business  worth  know- 
ing takes  time.  It  is  a  great  mistake  to  be  in  a  hurry 
to  get  rich ;  the  only  chance  a  young  man  has  in  Wall 
street  he  gets  by  stepping  upon  the  lower  rounds  of  the 
ladder  and  mounting  slowly  upon  his  increasing  knowl- 
edge and  experience.  If  he  gets  a  conservative  commis- 
sion business  firmly  established,  and  has  sufficient  brains 
to  make  a  careful  and  scientific  study  of  the  world-wide 
conditions  that  affect  stock  values,  he  is,  perhaps,  in  a 
position  for  ambitious  efforts  in  finance,  but  he  must 
first  have  something  solid  upon  which  to  stand." 

Mr.  White's  words  had  behind  them  the  authority  of 
long  experience  and  much  success.  But  more  forcible 
than  mere  words,  as  an  illustration  of  what  brings  suc- 
cess in  Wall  street  and  elsewhere,  is  his  remarkable 
career.  When,  in  1865,  he  came  from  Des  Moines,  Iowa, 
where  he  had  been  practising  law  for  several  years,  and 
entered  Wall  street  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Marvin 
and  White,  he  at  once  began  to  build  a  business  foun- 
dation, using,  as  his  chief  materials,  conservatism,  good 


"DEACON"    WHITE.  49 

judgment,  and,  above  all,  the  strictest  fair  dealing  in  all 
transactions.  There  was  nothing  Napoleonic  about  his 
operations.  The  firm,  of  which  he  became  the  sole  mem- 
ber in  1867,  moved  along  on  reasonably  safe  lines,  and 
prospered,  weathering  many  a  Wall  street  tempest  that 
wrecked  a  great  number  of  less  stable  barks.  In  1882, 
when  the  firm  name  became  Stephen  V.  White  and  Com- 
pany, it  had  become  a  power  in  Wall  street.  Its  opera- 
tions were  extensive,  and  upon  each  one  of  them  Mr. 
White  brought  to  bear  a  very  close  analysis  of  all  the 
influences  that  were  affecting,  or  by  any  possibility  could 
affect,  the  situation.  This  survey  of  the  field  was  of 
necessity  a  very  wide  one.  It  began  with  the  diversified 
influences  in  Wall  street  itself  and  extended  to  com- 
mercial and  agricultural  and  political  conditions  the  world 
over ;  and  when  the  time  came  to  act  few  financiers  were 
as  daring  as  "  Deacon  "  White. 

Once  he  went  too  far.  Upon  this  occasion  Mr.  White's 
study  of  the  conditions  was  just  as  careful  as  it  ever  had 
been.  He  weighed  the  probabilities,  and  they  were  in 
his  favor,  so  he  acted  with  his  accustomed  boldness. 

"  No  man  is  infallible,"  he  remarked,  in  commenting 
upon  this  important  episode  in  his  career.  "  An  utterly 
unforeseen  combination  of  men  and  circumstances  arose 
against  me,  and  I  was  forced  under." 

HIS    SHEET   ANCHOR   IN    A    FINANCIAL   STORM. 

His  splendid  fortune  was  swept  away,  and  he  was 
burdened  with  a  load  of  debt  that  would  have  hampered 
most  men  for  life.  Few  financiers  would  have  recovered 
their  position  after  so  disastrous  a  blow,  but  Mr.  White, 
with  his  money  gone,  had  much  left.  He  had  that  solid 
foundation  of  credit  which  he  had  spent  so  many  years 
in  building.  The  confidence  of  the  business  world  en- 


50  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

abled  him  to  start  anew.  Within  a  month  after  his  fail- 
ure he  had  paid  fifty  thousand  dollars  of  his  debts,  and 
within  a  couple  of  years  had  settled  them,  with  interest, 
to  the  last  cent. 

"  Yes,  it  was  my  credit  that  lifted  me  out  of  that  dif- 
ficulty," he  said  to  me.  "  Good  business  standing  is 
always  a  very  valuable  asset,  not  only  for  itself,  but  also 
for  what  it  means,  namely  :  fair  dealing,  good  methods, 
and  sound  judgment,  which,  coupled  with  enterprise  and 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business,  are  the  essentials 
of  commercial  success.  Without  absolute  integrity  a 
man  may  make  money  for  a  while  and  appear  to  be  suc- 
cessful, but  he  is,  at  best,  a  clever  fool,  for  his  policy  is 
one  which  is  sure  to  be  disastrous  to  him  in  the  long  run 
and  bring  him  failure  in  the  end. 

HIS    BOYHOOD    ON    THE    FARM. 

"  It  is  a  good  thing  for  a  young  man  to  have  passed 
his  boyhood  on  a  farm,  and  if  he  makes  his  way  with 
nothing  at  the  outset  of  his  career  but  his  own  brains 
and  character  and  will  his  satisfaction  through  life  will 
be  the  greater.  I  know  this  from  my  own  personal  ex- 
perience. My  father  moved  from  North  Carolina  during 
the  'Nat  Turner  rising'  in  1831,  because  he  did  n't  ap- 
prove of  slavery,  and  we  travelled  —  I  was  about  forty 
days  old  then  —  by  wagon  over  the  mountains  of  Ten- 
nessee, and  through  the  wild  regions  of  Kentucky  and 
other  States,  until  we  finally  reached  Illinois.  We  set- 
tled in  a  log  cabin  in  a  clearing  in  a  virgin  forest,  about 
six  miles  from  the  junction  of  the  Illinois  and  Missis- 
sippi Rivers.  It  was  there  I  passed  my  boyhood,  doing 
a  great  deal  of  hard  work.  When  I  made  up  my  mind 
to  go  to  Knox  College  I  began  to  teach  school  to  provide 
the  necessary  funds ;  and,  when  graduated,  went  down 


"DEACON"    WHITE,  51 

to  St.  Louis  to  study  law,  and  supported  myself  by  work- 
ing as  a  reporter  on  the  <  Globe-Democrat.'  I  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1856,  and  the  following  month  hung 
out  my  shingle  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  In  1861  I  success- 
fully defended  the  only  treason  case  ever  tried  in  that 
State ;  and  during  the  long  illness  of  the  United  States 
district  attorney  of  Iowa  I  conducted  all  of  the  govern- 
ment's civil  and  criminal  cases.  While  I  gave  up  the 
active  practice  of  law  when  I  came  to  New  York,  in 
1865,  I  served  a  term  in  Congress  in  the  '  eighties/  rep- 
resenting a  district  in  Brooklyn,  where  I  have  lived  for 
many  years.  When  I  go  home  I  like  to  forget  all  about 
business  and  give  myself  up  wholly  to  my  family.  Liter- 
ature and  languages  give  me  much  pleasure,  and  once 
upon  a  time  I  translated  a  book  from  the  Latin.  In  my 
home  I  have  one  of  the  largest  private  telescopes  in  the 
country,  and  when  surveying  through  it  the  immensity 
and  glory  of  the  heavens  all  financial  deals  seern  very 
small." 


IX. 


THE  STOEY  OF  GOVERNOR  FLOWER  OF 
NEW  YORK. 


GARFIELD  drove  oxen,  taught  school,  and  became 
President :  Roswell  P.  Flower  drove  oxen,  taught  school, 
and  became  Governor  of  the  Empire  State.  I  once  asked 
the  governor  if  there  were  not  some  subtle  connection 
between  these  two  extremes  of  occupation,  and  he  told 
me  that  he  did  n't  know  of  any,  unless  it  lay  in  the  fact 
that  the  same  qualities  are  necessary  in  both.  He 
thought  that  the  quality  of  patience  acquired  in  driving, 
leading,  or  coaxing  oxen  is  absolutely  necessary  in  the 
higher  pursuit  of  school  teaching,  and  that  any  man  who 
succeeds  in  both  these  humble  but  useful  occupations 
can  do  almost  anything.  It  is  a  long  distance  between 
the  farm  and  the  Capitol,  and  it  took  Governor  Flower 
nearly  half  a  century  to  traverse  it.  No  doubt  he  could 
have  done  so  in  much  less  time  had  the  route  been  direct, 
or  had  he  started  out  with  a  prearranged  plan  to  gain 
political  preferment.  On  the  contrary ,*his  ambition  was 
a  successful  business  career,  and  he  only  went  into  poli- 
tics through  a  sense  of  duty  as  a  citizen.  Many  years 
previous  to  1892,  when  he  was  elected  governor,  he  was 
a  well-recognized  power  in  the  finances  of  the  nation,  and 
had  won  admission  to  the  inner  circles  of  Wall  street. 
There  were,  at  that  time,  few  important  movements  in 

52 


GOVERNOR  FLOWER.  53 

stocks  in  which  the  great  house  of  Flower  and  Company 
did  not  have  a  hand. 

A    MAN    OF    AFFAIRS. 

The  governorship  of  his  State  is  very  justly  regarded 
as  a  stepping-stone  to  higher  things  politically,  or  to  en- 
hanced business  opportunities.  When  Governor  Flower 
took  the  office  he  neither  hoped  for  nor  expected  either. 
On  the  contrary,  he  doubtless  made  sacrifices  in  bowing 
to  the  will  of  the  people.  His  business  affairs,  when  he 
was  called  to  Albany,  were  of  the  first  magnitude,  and 
were  of  such  character  as  to  require  his  personal  at- 
tention, but  without  a  moment's  hesitation  he  went 
to  the  front  and  took  command,  simply  because  he  thought 
it  his  duty  as  a  citizen  to  do  so.  And  here  the  mar- 
vellous side  of  the  man's  character  is  shown.  For  years 
he  had  been  a  recognized  leader  in  Wall  street ;  every 
important  movement  in  certain  lines  of  stocks  was  be- 
lieved to  be  directed  from  "  Exchange  court ;  "  yet,  when 
he  took  up  the  reins  of  civil  government,  he  never  for 
an  instant  relinquished  the  leadership  of  the  "  street," 
and  I  have  yet  to  learn  of  the  complaint  ever  having 
been  made  that  he  was  not  at  his  desk  at  the  Capitol 
when  the  duties  of  the  office  required  him  to  be  here.  In 
fact,  Mr.  Flower  performed  the  hazardous  feat  of  riding 
two  very  untractable  steeds  at  once,  namely,  Govern- 
ment and  Finance,  —  and  he  mastered  them,  too. 

HUMBLE    BEGINNINGS. 

Eoswell  Pettibone  Flower  was  born  in  1835,  at  Ther- 
esa, Jefferson  County,  New  York,  and  was  the  first  gov- 
ernor elected  from  that  county,  and  the  second  from  that 
part  of  the  State.  His  father,  Nathan  Monroe  Flower, 
whose  ancestors  settled  in  Connecticut  in  1696,  was 


54  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

born  in  Greene  County,  New  York,  and  followed  the 
wool  carding  and  cloth  dressing  trade,  in  Coopers- 
town.  He  married  Mary  Ann  Boyle,  and  established 
himself  in  what  was  then  a  wilderness  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  State.  Roswell  was  the  sixth  of 
nine  children,  and  was  only  eight  years  old  when  his 
father  died.  His  first  taste  of  hard  work  was  that  of 
assisting  his  mother  in  the  business,  which  she  con- 
ducted for  a  couple  of  years  after  his  father's  death.  The 
family  had  two  farms  eight  miles  apart,  which  were 
worked  by  the  boys. 

"  The  first  important  lessons  of  life  which  I  learned," 
said  the  ex-go vernor,*"  were  independence,  self-reliance, 
and  fair  play ;  also  a  proper  sense  of  humility." 

It  is  said  that  young  Flower  was  extremely  sensitive 
on  the  point  of  his  clothes,  which,  owing  to  the  necessi- 
tous condition  of  the  family,  had  seen  previous  service 
on  the  forms  of  his  elder  brothers. 

The  boy's  first  regularly  paid  position  was  with  his 
brother-in-law,  Silas  L.  George,  a  merchant,  where  he  re- 
ceived five  dollars  a  month  and  board,  which  was  con- 
sidered quite  princely.  Roswell  was  sixteen  when  he  was 
graduated  from  the  high  school.  For  spending  money 
he  used  to  saw  and  carry  wood,  the  pay  for  which  was 
twenty-five  cents  for  half  a  cord.  Almost  every  occupa- 
tion that  the  country  boy  is  heir  to  was  known  to  the 
embryonic  governor  and  Wall-street  magnate.  He  had 
his  turn  at  working  in  the  hayfield,  tending  the  little 
country  store,  and  driving  a  yoke  of  stags  to  tread  out 
the  clay  in  a  brick  yard,  for  which  he  received  something 
like  a  dollar  and  a  half  a  week. 

"  I  did  n't  mind  the  work  at  all,"  said  the  ex-governor, 
once ;  "  I  was  strong  and  energetic,  and  took  an  interest 
in  everything  I  did.  I  could  see  that  the  country  offered 


GOVERNOR  FLOWER.  55 

possibilities  for  young  men  of  education,  and  I  devoted 
all  my  spare  time  to  preparation  for  the  greater  world 
which  I  was  determined  to  encounter  sooner  or  later/' 

"  What  were  the  chief  formative  influences  of  your 
life  ?  " 

"  My  mother  taught  us  that  there  was  nothing  so  con- 
temptible as  a  coward,  nor  so  mean  as  a  liar.  That,  with 
her,  seemed  to  cover  everything,  and  when  one  reflects, 
courage  and  truthfulness  do  seem  to  include  the  essential 
virtues." 

AS    VILLAGE    SCHOOLMASTER. 

The  next  step  of  progress  in  the  career  of  young 
Flower  was  in  the  village  school,  where  he  taught  and 
"  boarded  round  "  in  the  old  Yankee  fashion.  It  would 
seem,  from  reports,  that  the  teacher  of  this  school  ruled 
his  pupils  more  by  muscular  than  by  moral  suasion.  He 
engaged  in  a  general  wrestling  match,  and  easily  threw 
one  after  another  of  the  bigger  boys.  In  this  way  he 
vanquished  all  but  one,  a  surly  youth,  who  declined  to 
recognize  the  authority  of  the  young  pedagogue.  This 
boy  had  an  aversion  to  pronouncing  the  syllables  of 
words  separately  as  he  spelled  them.  Flower  insisted 
upon  the  syllables  being  pronounced  separately;  but 
wishing  to  avoid  a  personal  encounter  with  the  burly 
pupil,  he  engaged  the  services  of  another  lad,  and  so,  by 
a  combination  of  brawn  and  tact  subjugated  the  pug- 
nacious young  giant.  "  When  I  was  eighteen,"  said  Mr. 
Flower,  "  I  was  engaged  to  go  to  Philadelphia,  as  clerk 
in  a  general  store,  but  had  only  been  there  two  months 
when  my  employer  failed,  and  I  returned  home  and 
worked  on  my  mother's  farm,  receiving  a  ton  of  hay  for 
working  nine  days,  and  I  had  to  do  as  much  work  as  any 
one  of  the  other  eleven  men  in  the  field.  Until  I  was  fif- 


56  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

teen  I  rarely  wore  shoes  in  the  summer ;  and  was  very 
seldom  without  the  country  boy's  regular  supply  of  cuts 
and  stone-bruises." 

CLERK    AND    POSTMASTER. 

In  1853  Mr.  Flower,  after  brief  experience  as  a  clerk 
in  a  hardware  store,  obtained  the  appointment  of  deputy 
postmaster  at  Watertown,  at  fifty  dollars  a  month  and 
board,  and  remained  in  the  position  six  years.  "  As  soon 
as  I  got  this  situation,"  said  the  ex-governor,  "  I  deter- 
mined to  save  all  the  money  I  could,  as  I  saw  that  no 
matter  how  shrewd  a  man  may  be  it  is  necessary  for  him 
to  have  some  money  in  his  pocket  when  he  leaves  his 
own  town  to  battle  with  the  world.  I  was  very  proud  of 
the  first  fifty  dollars  I  saved,  and  invested  it  in  a  beauti- 
ful gold  watch,  because  I  could  not  spend  the  watch,  and 
ready  money  would  have  been  a  constant  temptation. 
Shortly  afterwards  a  young  man  who  was  going  West 
made  me  an  offer  of  fifty-three  dollars  for  the  watch,  and 
my  mercantile  instinct  led  me  to  part  with  it.  He  gave 
me  his  note  for  that  amount,  and  the  note  to-day  forms 
part  of  a  collection  of  papers  of  similar  character,  which 
every  man  of  affairs  is  more  or  less  bound  to  acquire, 
and  which  I  have  at  home  in  my  desk." 

BUSINESS   VENTURES. 

When  Mr.  Flower  left  the  post-office  he  took  the 
thousand  dollars  which  he  had  saved  and  engaged  in  the 
jewelry  business,  the  firm  name  being  Hitchcock  and 
Flower.  After  two  years  he  bought  his  partner  out,  and 
continued  in  the  business  until  1869.  During  his  sojourn 
in  Watertown,  young  Flower  was  a  member  of  the  fire 
department.  In  1859  he  married  Sarah  M.  Woodruff,  a 
daughter  of  Norris  M.  Woodruff,  of  Watertown. 

"  To  what  do  you  attribute  your  success  ?  "  I  asked. 


GOVERNOR   FLOWER.  57 

"  I  have  always  been  a  reader  of  useful  books,  and  a 
good  listener.  One  can  absorb  useful  information  from, 
any  crowd  that  he  may  chance  to  mingle  with.  It  may 
be  of  either  a  warning  or  an  inspiring  character,  but  it  is 
still  useful.  When  I  was  in  the  post-office,  in  Water- 
town,  I  read  Blackstone's  and  Kent's  '  Commentaries/ 
for  the  purpose  of  education.  These  books  have  been  of 
immense  advantage  to  me." 

In  1866  Henry  Keep,  a  famous  railroad  magnate,  and 
a  brother-in-law  of  Mrs.  Flower,  invited  Mr.  Flower  to 
come  to  New  York,  and  introduced  him  to  the  business 
world  of  the  metropolis,  and  particularly  of  Wall  street. 
This  was  done  by  Mr.  Keep  with  a  view  to  preparing 
Mr.  Flower  to  assist  Mrs.  Keep  in  the  management  of 
her  large  property  in  case  of  his  death.  When  Mr. 
Flower  took  charge  of  his  sister-in-law's  estate  it  was 
valued  at  $1,000,000.  In  a  few  years  the  value  had 
quadrupled. 

A    WALL    STREET    CAREER. 

When  I  asked  the  ex-governor  how  he  made  his  money 
in  Wall  street,  he  replied :  "  By  investing  in  properties, 
which,  upon  the  most  rigid  examination,  showed  not  only 
possibilities,  but  very  strong  probabilities,  of  development 
under  expert  management,  and  by  never  putting  money 
into  any  enterprise  unless  I  was  accorded  a  voice  in  its 
management  proportionate  to  the  investment.  In  inter- 
esting one's  self  in  railroads  one  should  not  only  acquire 
a  knowledge  of  the  condition  of  the  property,  and  of  the 
character  of  the  men  managing  it,  but  should  try  to  fore- 
shadow the  trend  of  traffic  in  relation  to  it." 

NEVER    UNLOADED    ON    HIS    FRIENDS. 

Mr.  Flower  had  the  reputation  in  Wall  street  of  never 
"  unloading  on  his  friends."  When  he  advises  any  one 


58  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

to  invest  in  a  property  one  might  be  sure  that  the  ex- 
governor  had  backed  his  opinion  with  his  own  money, 
and  when  losses  were  sustained  in  such  cases  he  was 
generally  found  to  be  the  heaviest  loser.  In  1872  Mr. 
Flower  was  compelled,  through  ill-health,  to  sever  his 
connection  with  the  firm  of  Benedict,  Flower  and  Com- 
pany, and  devote  himself  to  the  management  of  his 
sister-in-law's  estate.  It  was  not,  however,  easy  to  throw 
off  the  fascination  of  the  "  street."  There  is  an  old 
saying,  "  Once  a  Wall  street  man,  always  a  Wall  street 
man ; "  so  it  proved  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Flower.  For  a 
long  time  now,  the  firm  of  Flower  and  Company,  in 
which  A.  R.  Flower  and  J.  B.  Flower,  brothers,  and 
Frederick  S.  Flower,  a  nephew  of  the  head  of  the  house, 
are  partners,  has  dominated  Wall  street.  In  1890  R.  P. 
Flower  changed  from  an  active  to  a  special  partner  in 
the  house. 

HIS    POLITICAL    CAREER. 

Mr.  Flower  cast  his  first  vote  for  Buchanan,  and  was 
always  an  unswerving  Democrat.  He  was  never  a  believer 
in  the  "  independent  "  voter. 

"  What  is  the  element  of  success  in  politics  ?  "  I  asked 
the  ex-governor. 

"  Strict  partisanship,"  he  replied.  "  A  man  should 
either  rise  or  fall  with  his  party.  On  the  shoulders  of 
the  party  must  be  placed  the  absolute  responsibility  of 
the  administration,  no  division,  no  compromise.  Every 
young  American  must,  if  he  expects  to  succeed  in  politics, 
familiarize  himself  with  the  national  system,  the  State, 
county,  and  ward  systems,  right  down  to  his  own  district. 
He  must  be  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  working  of  the 
political  machinery.  Imagination  is  a  great  thing  for  a 
statesman,  but  it  must  be  combined  with  practical  knowl- 
edge to  be  ^effective." 


GOVERNOR  FLOWER.  59 

In  1881  Mr.  Flower  defeated  William  Waldorf  Astor 
in  the  race  for  Congress,  in  the  eleventh  district,  succeed- 
ing Levi  P.  Morton,  who  had  resigned  to  become  minister 
to  France.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  Forty- 
seventh  Congress  as  a  member  of  the  committee  on  bank- 
ing. Here  he  found  it  necessary  to  inform  himself  upon 
the  theories  of  finance,  which  he  found  he  had  overlooked 
in  his  practical  experience.  In  1882  he  refused  a  re- 
nomination  for  Congress,  having  stated  in  his  first  cam- 
paign that  he  would  not  accept  a  second  term. 

"  My  success  in  Congress,"  said  he,  "  was  due  to  the 
fact  that  I  always  tried  to  learn  more  about  the  work  of 
the  committee  on  which  I  chanced  to  be  placed  than  any 
other  member.'7  When  he  was  a  member  of  the  subway 
commission  a  discussion  arose  between  that  body  and 
the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company  as  to  the  consti- 
tutionality of  laws  ordering  the  wires  under  ground. 
One  day  Jay  Gould  called  upon  him,  and  suggested  that 
their  lawyers  meet  and  submit  briefs  to  Judge  Blatch- 
ford.  Mr.  Flower  replied :  "  I  am  not  so  much  concerned 
about  the  constitutionality  of  the  law.  Your  company 
has  been  laying  cables  without  a  permit,  and  if  I  can  find 
out  who  ordered  them  to  lay  those  cables  on  Sunday  I 
shall  proceed  against  him  for  disobeying  the  law,  and  if 
you  are  the  man  I  shall  take  great  pleasure  in  putting 
you  in  jail." 

Mr.  Flower  was  elected  to  the  governorship  in  1892, 
and  his  career  in  that  office,  and  subsequently,  is  so  well 
known  as  to  make  any  allusion  to  it  superfluous. 

He  had  sound,  practical  views  of  charity,  and  believed 
in  putting  money  out  where  he  could  himself  see  it  do 
good.  Many  people  in  the  section  of  the  State  where  he 
was  brought  up  have  benefited  by  his  munificence.  At  a 
considerable  expense  he  had  the  little  church  at  Theresa, 


60  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

in  which  his  parents  used  to  worship,  rebuilt  into  a 
beautiful  little  structure.  He  also  gave  to  St.  Thomas's 
Church  in  New  York  fifty  thousand  dollars,  with  which 
to  build  a  four-story  building,  St.  Thomas's  House  to  be 
used  for  parish  work,  a  Sunday-school,  a  diet  kitchen,  a 
class  in  needlework  for  young  girls,  and  a  club  room  and 
library  for  young  men.  The  Flower  Hospital  also  owes 
its  existence  to  the  ex-governor's  generosity. 


HENRY   CLEWS. 


X. 


TO  COUNTRY  BOYS :  HOW  TO  GET  ALONG  IN 
A  GEEAT  CITY. 


HENRY  CLEWS  was  an  office  boy,  messenger,  and  errand 
boy  in  New  York,  working  in  a  Broad-street  office,  at  a 
point  within  two  blocks  of  his  present  great  banking 
house.  As  a  stock  broker  he  has  made  millions.  He 
has,  at  my  request,  in  the  following  article,  given  points 
to  country  boys  who  desire  to  succeed  in  a  great  city. 

In  nearly  every  one,  says  Mr.  Clews,  of  the  ten  million 
families  more  or  less  of  the  United  States  outside  of  the 
great  cities,  there  is  at  least  one  bright  lad  who  longs  for 
a  city  career.  His  father's  farm,  or  store,  or  workshop, 
appears  to  him  too  narrow  for  the  exercise  of  the  talents 
which  he  believes  are  stirring  within  him,  and  which  he 
desires,  with  all  the  impulses  of  youth,  to  put  into  activ- 
ity in  the  largest  possible  fields.  These  and  similar 
ambitions  come  into  play  in  the  minds  of  boys  of  from 
twelve  to  sixteen  years.  What  steps  shall  these  young 
people  take  to  carry  out  their  plans  successfully,  to  be- 
come rich  as  merchants,  or  eminent  as  lawyers,  or  physi- 
cians, or  clergymen ;  or  to  make  great  fortunes  as  stock 
speculators  ? 

HOW    TO    START. 

Obviously,  the  first  step  toward  success  in  the  city  is 
to  get  into  the  city.  All  roads  and  all  railways  lead  to 

61 


62  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

these  great  centres,  but  the  boy  should  not  come  without  a 
definite  object  in  view,  or  ivithout  an  introduction  to  some 
one  who  can  befriend  him.  It  is  very  easy  for  the  boy, 
especially  with  the  consent  of  his  parents,  to  get  a  letter 
or  two  to  some  one  in  the  nearest  large  city.  The  vil- 
lage storekeeper  knows  somebody  in  the  great  market, 
and  will  cheerfully  vouch  in  writing  for  the  lad's  char- 
acter. The  principal  of  the  school  will  do  the  same. 
Ambitious  boys  are  never  liars  or  dishonest,  and  their 
elders  take  pleasure  in  speaking  well  of  them.  Letters 
to  almost  any  merchant  or  professional  man  in  a  city  are 
useful.  If  the  persons  to  whom  the  letters  are  ad- 
dressed cannot  give  the  boy  a  place  they  are  valuable  as 
references.  And  when,  backed  up  in  this  way,  the  youth 
sets  out  to  find  a  situation,  'his  quest  is  easy.  Boys  are 
always  wanted.  A  boy  can  find  ten  situations  where  a 
middle-aged  man  without  capital  looks  vainly  for  one. 

WHERE    TO    START. 

Now  that  our  lad  is  sure  of  a  place  he  must  bear  in 
mind  that  one  place  is  about  as  good  as  another.  One  of 
the  great  leaders  of  finance  has  said  that,  in  the  long  run, 
all  businesses  are  alike  in  their  results.  There  is  just  as 
much  money  in  hardware  as  in  dry  goods,  in  drugs  as  in 
leather,  and  so  on  indefinitely.  And  it  is  of  no  conse- 
quence where  the  boy  begins,  because  he  has  to  begin  at 
the  bottom. 

A    CASE    IN    POINT. 

One  of  the  most  successful  wholesale  druggists  in  New 
York  came  to  the  city  with  high  ambitions,  and  started 
on  his  career  by  washing  the  glasses  at  a  soda  fountain 
on  Broadway.  He  wrote  a  good  hand,  was  quick  at 
figures,  and  had  made  good  progress  in  Latin,  but  he  was 
not  ashamed  to  rinse  tumblers  because  he  could  work 


HENRY  CLEWS.  63 

quadratic  equations,  and  accurately  construe  Caesar's  De 
Bella  Gallico.  He  did  his  work  well,  all  through  one  hot 
summer ;  came  to  his  duties  early  and  stayed  late ;  never 
being  sick  and  never  forsaking  the  soda  fountain  to  at- 
tend even  a  baseball  game.  In  all  ways  he  displayed 
great  alacrity  and  willingness;  consequently  he  was 
soon  promoted  to  the  sales  counter.  The  proprietors 
had  noticed  his  good  points,  and  it  was  in  their  own  in- 
terest that  they  advanced  him.  From  that  his  upward 
progress  was  easy  and  natural.  And  he  added  to  other 
accomplishments,  in  due  time,  a  knowledge  of  the 
qualities  and  values  of  drugs,  acquired  by  diligent  study 
of  books,  and  by  observation  of  the  methods  of  the 
establishment.  In  this  way,  always  learning,  and 
always  making  his  knowledge  practical,  his  upward 
march  was  inevitable. 

HIS    RELATION    TO    HIS    EMPLOYER. 

Nor  should  a  youth  fall  into  the  error  of  considering 
his  employer  a  tyrant  or  taskmaster,  whose  aim  is  to 
keep  his  young  assistants  down.  On  the  contrary,  all 
well-disposed,  industrious,  truthful,  and  honest  boys  have 
the  heartiest  sympathy  and  regard  of  grown-up  people, 
whether  employers  or  not.  A  lad  must  not  expect  that 
every  man  he  meets  will  be  his  mentor ;  but  he  may, 
with  absolute  certainty,  count  upon  the  good-will  of 
every  reputable  business  man  whom  he  meets  at  the  out- 
set, and  this  may  become  of  practical  benefit  if  occasion 
offers. 

THE    IMPORTANCE    OF    GOOD    HABITS. 

It  might  appear  superfluous  to  insist  upon  the  im- 
portance of  good  habits,  were  it  not  that  lads  between 
fifteen  and  twenty  are,  above  all  others,  liable  to  acquire 
bad  ones.  At  an  age  when  wine,  spirits,  and  tobacco  are 


64  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

particularly  harmful  to  their  unformed  constitutions 
lads  drink  and  smoke,  often  to  an  excess  unknown  to 
older  people,  partly  from  imitation,  and  partly  out  of  a 
mistaken  notion  that  such  indulgences  are  manly.  A 
wise  employer  —  and  most  employers  have  acquired  wis- 
dom in  this  direction  —  will  not  advance  a  clerk  or  as- 
sistant who  drinks  or  smokes  to  excess,  and  will  not  retain 
him  if  it  is  convenient  to  find  some  one  else  to  fill  his  place. 

COMMON    COURTESY. 

It  is  not  unnecessary  to  add  that,  in  addressing  employ- 
ers, a  junior  should  always  add  the  word  "sir"  to  a 
"  yes  "  or  "  no."  This  one  act  of  respect  and  courtesy 
may  change  one's  fortune  for  life.  It  is  shamefully 
neglected  in  the  United  States. 

SPECIAL    STUDIES. 

Every  lad  who  has  his  way  to  make  in  the  city  should, 
between  his  fifteenth  and  twentieth  years,  learn  some 
foreign  language  in  addition  to  his  own ;  it  is  good  mind 
training.  It  would  be  well  also  to  acquire  a  knowledge 
of  stenography  and  typewriting ;  they  will  prove  advan- 
tageous in  his  clerical  work. 


XI. 

SIGHTLESS    BUT    FAR-SEEING: 

A  BLIND  MERCHANT  PRINCE:  HOW  HE  GOT  HIS 
START;  CARDINAL  RULES  FOR  BUSINESS  SUC- 
CESS; GUIDE  BOARDS  TO  PROSPERITY. 


CHARLES  B.  Rouss  is  known  the  country  over  for  the 
marvellous  success  which  has  attended  his  career  as 
a  New  York  merchant,  and  for  the  great  benefactions 
he  has  bestowed  broadcast  during  his  remarkable  life.  His 
career  has  been  one  of  the  wonders  of  New  York.  The 
other  great  merchants,  his  rivals,  say  they  cannot  see  how 
he  has  managed  to  build  up  such  a  business  out  of  noth- 
ing, or  how  he  has  managed  the  great  fortune  he  has  put 
to  such  good  use.  Yet  Mr.  Rouss  himself  does  not  see 
any  element  of  the  wonderful  in  what  he  has  accom- 
plished. To  him,  his  success  means  only  earnest  en- 
deavor, strict  conformity  to  the  rules  of  business,  self- 
denial,  long  hours  in  the  store,  and  a  life  as  regular  as 
clock-work  for  many,  many  years.  His  fortune  he  attrib- 
utes to  those  qualities  which,  he  says,  are  essential  to 
the  success  of  any  man,  and  he  holds  that  any  man  can 
acquire  them  if  he  will. 

I  called  upon  Mr.  Rouss  at  the  great  Broadway  store 
which  he  has  erected,  and  sought  an  interview  with  him. 
I  looked  about  me  in  wonder  and  admiration  at  the  al- 

65 


66  TALKS   WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

most  innumerable  counters  covered  with  every  conceivable 
article  of  merchandise,  and  wondered  if  all  this  was  really 
owned  by  the  man  who,  a  little  over  thirty  years  ago,  was 
walking  the  streets  of  New  York  without  a  cent  in  his 
pocket.  Seated  at  a  small  table  in  the  centre  of  the 
great  room,  freely  accessible  to  any  one  who  desired  to 
speak  with  him,  and  right  in  the  midst  of  his  clerks,  was 
the  blind  merchant. 

THE    GREAT    MERCHANT    IN    HIS    STORE. 

Presented  by  his  manager,  I  walked  up  to  the  little 
table.  Mr.  Kouss  took  my  hand  and  greeted  me  very 
pleasantly,  after  I  had  described  my  appearance  to  him 
so  that  he  might  get  an  idea  of  how  I  looked.  I  told  him 
of  my  errand,  that  I  had  come  to  get  from  his  own  lips 
the  story  of  his  marvellous  career. 

He  spoke  first  of  his  life  in  Virginia.  He  was  the  son 
of  a  farmer  of  little  wealth,  but  good  character  and  high 
intellectual  attainments.  Reared  on  the  farm,  he  re- 
mained there  helping  his  father,  up  to  the  age  of  fifteen, 
when  he  determined  to  start  out  for  himself.  He  had 
previously  attended  an  academy  in  Winchester,  twelve 
miles  distant  from  the  farm,  and  had  been  constantly  at 
the  head  of  his  class  daring  every  term.  But  he  was  not 
satisfied  with  mere  knowledge,  and  being  ambitious  for  a 
career  in  business,  he  decided  that  the  sooner  he  began  it 
the  better.  So,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  went  to  Winches- 
ter and  secured  employment  in  one  of  the  leading  general 
stores  of  the  place,  which  was  then  a  city  of  only  five 
thousand  inhabitants.  He  began  work  at  a  dollar  a  week, 
and  had  his  salary  increased  gradually  until,  at  the  age 
of  eighteen,  he  had  saved  five  hundred  dollars  from  his 
three  years'  wages,  when  he  rented  a  store  and  went  into 
business  for  himself.  At  the  end  of  six  years  he  was 


THE  BLIND  MERCHANT.  67 

occupying  the  largest  store  in  the  city,  and  had  accumu- 
lated sixty  thousand  dollars  as  the  result  of  his  work. 

WAR    WASTED    HIS    FORTUNE. 

Then  came  the  terrible  war,  and  he  went  to  the  front. 
His  large  fortune  was  entirely  swallowed  up  in  gifts  to 
the  army,  and  the  "  Lost  Cause  "  as  the  Confederacy  was 
called.  Business  had  been  greatly  paralyzed  throughout 
Virginia  by  the  war,  and  he  saw  no  opening  for  him  in 
Winchester  any  longer,  so  he  worked  for  several  months 
upon  his  father's  farm. 

After  the  first  harvest  of  1865  had  been  gathered  he 
announced  to  the  family  that  farm  life  was  too  slow  and 
unsatisfactory  for  him,  and  he  was  determined  to  go  to 
New  York,  and  become,  if  possible,  a  second  A.  T. 
Stewart. 

His  parents  listened  very  doubtfully  to  this  project, 
and  did  not  conceal  their  belief  that  it  was  a  wild  idea, 
but,  though  Charles  was  an  obedient  son,  and  listened 
w'ith  all  respect  to  his  parents'  arguments,  he  felt  that  he 
had  in  him  the  elements  of  success,  and  he  determined  to 
do  in  New  York  as  he  had  done  in  Winchester.  He  held 
that  the  immutable  elements  of  success  are  the  same  in 
any  locality,  and  that  it  is  only  the  opportunities  that  are 
changed. 

So,  with  his  railroad  ticket  to  New  York,  and  just  one 
dollar  and  eighty  cents  besides,  he  started  out,  after  a 
stop-over  in  Baltimore,  where  he  tried  in  vain  to  get 
credit,  and  arrived  in  the  great  metropolis  with  but  a 
very  few  cents  in  his  pocket.  Indeed,  he  was  eleven 
thousand  dollars  in  debt. 

HOW    HE    GOT    HIS    GREAT    START. 

Upon  his  arrival,  he  sought  in  vain  for  credit  whereby 
he  could  establish  business  for  himself,  but  everywhere 


68  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

he  was  refused.  He  walked  the  streets  day  and  night, 
eating  at  free-lunch  counters  and  sleeping  at  police-sta- 
tion s.  Finally,  he  met  an  old  friend,  who  gave  him  a 
chance  to  earn  some  money.  He  was  told  that  if  he 
would  sell  a  certain  stock  of  goods  he  would  be  given  a 
permanent  place.  He  sold  the  goods,  and  realized  a 
handsome  profit  on  the  deal.  In  a  few  months  he  had 
earned  six  thousand  dollars,  and  from  that  time  on  he 
mounted  upward,  little  by  little,  until  finally  his  credit 
was  unlimited.  At  the  height  of  his  success  came  the 
great  financial  panic  of  1875,  and  he  was  again  made 
penniless  in  a  day,  and  he  found  himself  fifty  thousand 
dollars  in  debt. 

It  seems  scarcely  credible  that  a  man  who  had  failed 
to  such  an  extent,  and  who  had  encountered  such  terrible 
difficulties,  would  have  the  pluck  to  again  start  anew. 
But  Mr.  Bouss  was  not  discouraged.  He  opened  a  com- 
paratively small  store  in  Williamsburg  at  a  rent  of  fifty 
cents  a  day,  and  in  a  few  days  his  small  stock  was  sold 
out.  Then  he  moved  into  larger  quarters,  and  at  the  end 
of  three  months  he  had  moved  six  times.  He  was  fol- 
lowing his  old  custom,  buying  for  cash,  and  was  under- 
selling everybody.  Customers  who  had  obtained  bargains 
from  him  before  flocked  to  him,  and  in  a  very  short  time 
he  again  had  a  bank  account.  Then  began  the  steady 
upward  course  which  has  placed  his  name  among  the 
greatest  business  names  of  the  country. 

Every  one  knows  that  he  now  occupies  one  of  the  fin- 
est buildings  on  Broadway  in  New  York,  and  is  doing  a 
business  that  is  marvellous  in  its  extent. 

CARDINAL    RULES    FOR    BUSINESS    SUCCESS. 

Mr.  Eouss  has  given  me  a  few  of  the  rules  which  have 
guided  his  career,  and,  after  reading  them,  who  can  fail 


THE  BLIND  MERCHANT.  69 

to  see  why  he  has  succeeded  ?  The  following  rules  for 
a  successful  life  could  well  be  carried  in  the  pocket-book 
of  every  young  man  and  woman  in  America :  — 

Keep  good  company  or  none. 

Never  be  idle.  If  your  hands  cannot  be  fully  em- 
ployed, attend  to  the  cultivation  of  your  mind. 

Always  speak  the  truth.  Make  few  promises. 
Live  up  to  your  engagements. 

Keep  your  own  secrets  if  you  have  any. 

When  you  speak  to  a  person  look  him  in  the  face. 

Good  company  and  good  conversation  are  the  very 
sinews  of  virtue. 

Good  character  is  above  all  things  else.  Your 
character  cannot  be  essentially  injured,  except  by 
your  own  acts.  If  any  one  speaks  evil  of  you  let 
your  life  be  so  that  none  will  believe  him.  Keep 
yourself  innocent,  if  you  would  be  happy. 

Drink  no  kind  of  intoxicating  liquors. 

Ever  live  (misfortune  excepted)  within  your  in- 
come. 

When  you  retire,  think  over  what  you  have  been 
doing  during  the  day. 

Never  play  at  a  game  of  chance. 

Avoid  temptation,  through  fear  that  you  may  not 
withstand  it. 

Earn  money  before  you  spend  it.  Never  run  into 
debt  unless  you  see  your  way  out  of  it  again.  Never 
borrow  if  you  can  possibly  avoid  it. 

Do  not  marry  until  you  are  able  to  support  a  wife. 

Never  speak  evil  of  any  one. 

Be  just  before  you  are  generous. 

Save  when  you  are  young,  to  spend  when  you  are 
old. 

Read  over  the  above  maxims  at  least  on^e  a  week. 


70  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

HIS    METHOD    OF    DOING    BUSINESS. 

He  is  invariably  down  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  never  leaves  until  half-past  seven  in  the  evening. 
Every  one  of  the  thousand  or  more  letters  received  daily 
at  the  store  is  read  to  him,  and  he  dictates  the  answers. 
Each  evening  the  heads  of  twenty-eight  departments 
come  to  him  to  report  what  they  have  done  during  the 
day,  and  everything  throughout  the  store  is  really  under 
his  supervision.  His  business  is  conducted  in  the  sim- 
plest way  possible,  and  he  does  not  believe  in  elaborate 
arrangements  of  any  kind. 

Charles  B.  Rouss  has  had  to  encounter  difficulties 
greater  than  those  that  come  in  most  of  our  paths,  and 
yet  here  he  is,  a  multi-millionaire,  and  still  but  little  over 
sixty  years  old.  His  success  has  come  to  him  quickly, 
too,  though  it  has  been  simply  the  result  of  hard  work 
and  not  mere  luck,  if  there  be  such  a  thing  as  luck. 

GUIDE-BOARDS    TO    MERCANTILE    PROSPERITY. 

His  axioms  for  business  are  invincible.  Here  are  some 
that  he  laid  down  for  me :  — 

The  dignity  of  labor  is  the  greatest  of  all  dignities ; 
the  genius  of  work  the  greatest  of  all  geniuses. 

Industry,  integrity,  economy,  and  promptness  are 
cardinal  requisites  to  certain  and  honorable  success. 

Merit  is  the  trade-mark  of  success ;  quality  the 
true  test  of  value. 

Not  in  time,  place,  or  circumstances,  but  in  the 
man  lies,  success  ;  and  the  larger  the  field  the  greater 
the  results.  • 

Credit  and  partnerships  are  the  scourge  of  com- 
mercial history,  and  the  bane  of  commercial  ex- 
perience. 


THE  BLIND  MERCHANT.  71 

Beware  of  the  gifts  of  the  Greeks ;  they  allure  that 
they  may  destroy  ;  credit  is  tempting,  but  ruin  surely 
follows  in  its  path. 

Burn  the  ledger  and  learn  to  say  NO  ;  this  is  the 
best  for  both  buyer  and  seller. 

Learn  when  to  buy,  how  to  buy,  and  where  to  buy. 

Buy  for  cash  and  sell  for  cash. 

If  you  buy  bargains  sell  bargains. 

Quick  sales  and  small  profits  make  more  sales  and 
greater  results. 

Large  profits  and  few  sales  mean,  in  time,  no  sales 
and  no  profits. 

Bargain  purchases  without  bargain  sales  is  an  am- 
bition which  overleaps  itself,  and  is  as  unwise  as  it 
is  unprofitable. 

'  Long  credits  with  large  profits  tempt  both  buyer 
and  seller,  but  they  awaken  the  siren-song  which  is 
ever  chanting  the  funeral  dirge  of  disappointed 
victims,  both  buyer  and  seller  being  chief  mourners, 
and  the  sheriff  the  undertaker. 

HIS    PRIME    SECRET  :    A    CASH    BUSINESS    AND    LOW  PRICES. 

Charles  B.  Rouss  has  practised  what  he  preaches.  His 
great  Broadway  store  has  become  the  purchasing  centre 
of  hundreds  and  thousands  of  men  throughout  the 
country,  who  believe  in  buying  and  selling  for  cash,  and 
who  have  learned  that  it  is  one  secret  of  his  remarkable 
success. 

It  is  a  sad  thing  that  this  man  who  has  been  so  much 
and  has  done  so  much  must  himself  suffer  a  loss  that 
seems  to  be  irreparable.  A  few  years  ago  his  sight 
began  to  fail  him,  and  he  grew  gradually  worse  and 
worse  until  now  he  can  see  absolutely  nothing.  It  is  a 
terrible  affliction  to  a  man  who  is  so  active  and  so  neces- 


72  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

sary  to  the  world.  Specialists  without  number  have 
been  consulted  without  avail  j  not  one  of  them  has  been 
able  to  help  him  in  the  least.  He  feels  his  loss  keenly. 
"  Of  what  avail  is  my  wealth,"  he  said  to  me,  "  when  I 
cannot  see  ?  " 

Yet  he  always  retains  a  keen  interest  in  helping  others. 
Many  are  the  boys  who  owe  their  start  in  life  to  his  kindly 
guidance  and  aid,  and  many  of  those  he  has  helped  to 
begin  right  are  owners  of  their  own  stores  to-day. 

Any  sketch  of  this  remarkable  man  would  be  incom- 
plete without  reference  to  the  philanthropic  feature  of 
his  personality.  Not  a  day  passes  that  the  needy,  far 
and  near,  do  not  receive  aid  known  only  to  him  and  his 
Maker ;  and  his  public  benefactions  are  numerous  and 
generous  in  the  extreme.  It  is  delightful  to  know  that 
he  is  held  in  high  honor  by  those  who  have  known  him 
longest  and  best;  and  that  the  Society  of  Southern 
Women  in  New  York  have  presented  to  the  city  a  statue 
of  the  wise,  the  patriotic,  the  beneficent  blind  merchant. 


XII. 

1  SCOTCH-IRISH  IMMIGRANT  BOY:  WHO 
SAVED  HIS  MONEY  AND  HAD  AN  EYE 
FOR  INVESTMENTS. 

THE    PERCEPTION    OF    OPPORTUNITY;    INTEGRITY; 
EARNESTNESS;  AND  ATTENTION  TO  DETAILS. 


SAMUEL  SLOAN,  the  president  of  the  Delaware,  Lack- 
a wanna  and  Western  Railway,  was  eighty-two  years  old 
when  I  called  upon  him.  He  came  to  America  as  a 
child,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  New 
York.  At  fourteen  he  was  fitting  for  Columbia  Col- 
lege, but  the  death  of  his  father  made  it  needful  for 
him  to  enter  an  importing  house  as  a  clerk. 

Once  fairly  started  in  his  first  employment,  the  boy 
turned  his  whole  attention  to  making  a  business  career 
for  himself.  He  did  not  cultivate  an  intimacy  with  the 
easy-chair  in  the  office.  He  did  not  watch  the  clock  for 
quitting-time,  or  the  calendar  for  pay-day.  He  worked 
hard  for  the  interests  of  his  employers,  and  was  not  long 
in  giving  promise  of  a  brilliant  future.  His  employers 
advanced  him  from  one  position  of  trust  to  another,  until 
he  commanded  the  best  salary  in  the  place.  He  was  in- 
defatigable. Even  when  a  junior  clerk  he  learned  the 
requirements  of  the  business  thoroughly.  For  twenty 
years  he  never  faltered  in  his  devotion  to  the  house. 

73 


74  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

SAVING     AND      INVESTING. 

In  speaking  of  this  period  of  his  life,  Mr.  Sloan  said  to 
me: 

"  I  never  regret  the  hard  work  I  put  in  there.  It  gave 
me  my  wide  acquaintance  with  men,  with  the  value  of 
money  in  the  sense  of  capital,  and  with  the  ways  of  let- 
ting money  earn  money.  No  matter  what  my  salary  was, 
I  saved  some  of  it,  and  sought  careful  investments.  It 
was  here  I  earned  my  first  thousand  dollars,  and  saw  it 
grow  to  five  thousand  in  a  few  years.  In  fact,  my  savings 
were  considerable  before  the  end  of  my  connection  with 
the  house." 

This  saving  of  money  and  the  thrifty  habits  he  had 
learned  stood  him  in  good  stead  against  the  hour  of  a 
great  opportunity. 

Living  in  Brooklyn,  his  good  judgment  as  a  business 
man  was  sought  for  the  conduct  of  municipal  affairs  ;  he 
was  afterwards  made  State  senator  by  the  votes  of  both 
parties. 

HIS    OPPORTUNITY. 

He  had  already  a  trained  eye  for  seeing  the  main 
chance  in  business  ventures.  It  was  while  serving  the 
State  at  Albany,  when  he  was  about  forty  years  old,  that 
he  recognized  the  great  opportunity  for  a  Hudson  river 
railway.  It  was  before  Commodore  Vanderbilt  had  turned 
his  attention  to  rail  traffic.  Mr.  Sloan  saw  his  chance, 
when  others  did  not.  James  Boorman  had  projected  and 
built  a  single  track  road  from  the  metropolis  north,  upon 
the  east  bank  of  the  Hudson  ;  yet  it  was  poorly  equipped 
with  rolling  stock,  unfinished  at  its  northerly  end,  and 
practically  bankrupt  when  Mr.  Sloan  invested  the  bulk 
of  his  savings  in  the  stock  at  seventeen  cents  on  the 
dollar. 


SAMUEL   SLOAN.  75 

"  That  was  the  turning-point  in  my  life,"  he  declared. 
"  I  saw  my  work  cut  out  for  me.  I  was  entitled  to 
membership  in  the  directorate  and  I  took  my  place  fully 
determined  to  rescue  the  road  and  make  it  pay.  Governor 
Edwin  D.  Morgan  and  Moses  H.  Grinnell  were  elected 
to  the  same  board.  For  ten  years  I  devoted  myself  to 
the  finishing,  extending,  and  better  equipment  of  the 
Hudson  Kiver  Railroad.  With  what  success  you  can 
judge  when  I  say  that  under  my  care  the  stock  rose 
gradually  in  value  from  seventeen  cents  to  $1.30  per 
share." 

Upon  retiring  from  the  presidency  in  1864,  in  favor  of 
Mr.  Vanderbilt  (who  urged  him  in  vain  to  stay),  Mr. 
Sloan  was  already  a  rich  man.  His  fellow-directors  pre- 
sented him  with  a  superb  service  of  plate  costing  $7,500, 
and  a  testimonial  in  the  form  of  a  letter,  which  said :  "  Per- 
mit us  to  add  that  it  is  the  unanimous  sense  of  the  board 
that  to  your  energy  and  fidelity,  and  to  your  judgment 
and  ability,  it  is  mainly  due  that  the  financial  and  ma- 
terial concerns  of  the  company  have  been  brought  to  the 
present  condition  of  prosperity  and  strength." 

After  this  he  devoted  himself  to  the  affairs  of  the 
Lacka  wanna. 

SUNDAY    RAILWAY    SERVICE. 

"  Why  was  it  that  you  ordered  your  train  service  dis- 
continued on  Sunday,  and  have  never  resumed  it  ?  "  I 
asked. 

"Because  I  respect  the  Sabbath,  and  decline  to  ask 
my  men  to  do  work  on  that  day  which  I  would  not  do 
myself." 

"  The  revenues  of  the  road  could  be  swelled  by  several 
millions  a  year  by  Sunday  service,"  I  suggested. 

"  Very  likely.     But  they  won't  be  while  I  am  in  con- 


76  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

trol.     We  don't  need  the  money,  and  our  men  are  better 
off  for  the  Sunday  rest." 

INTEGRITY,  EARNESTNESS,    AND    ATTENTION  TO    DETAIL. 

"Will  you  tell  me,  Mr.  Sloan,"  I  asked,  "what  traits 
of  character  offer  the  best  promise  of  success  in  a  be- 
ginner ?  " 

The  answer  came  like  a  flash  :  "  First,  integrity ;  sec- 
ond, earnestness ;  third,  application  to  detail.  A.  young 
man,  or  woman  either,  who  possesses  these  is  bound  to 
win." 

"  Do  you  think  these  qualities  are  consistent  with  a 
Wall-street  career  ?  " 

"  Undoubtedly  —  unless  you  include  cheap  speculation. 
This  is  the  clearing-house  of  America.  Here  is  the 
financial  pulse  of  the  nation.  Nowhere  in  the  world 
does  integrity  find  a  readier  appreciation.  If  a  young 
man  has  the  opportunity  of  an  honorable  career  in 
finance,  and  he  is  possessed  of  these  staying  qualities,  lie 
will  be  heard  from.  But  he  must  apply  himself  intensely 
—  go  into  every  detail,  and  study  the  questions  con- 
nected with  his  work." 

"  How  about  the  thirst  for  gold,  and  its  accompanying 
demoralization  ?  "  I  ventured. 

"He  must  not  be  sordid.  He  must  not  permit  the 
glitter  of  gold  to  blind  him  to  the  moral  obligations  of  a 
Christian  and  a  gentleman.  Money  is  a  means,  not  an 
end.  Let  him  sacrifice  a  fortune,  if  need  be,  but  never 
sacrifice  a  principle." 


XIII. 

THE  BOY  WHO  BECAME   PRESIDENT   OF  THE 
SOUTHERN  EXPRESS. 


"  IT  was  either  fish  or  cut  bait  with  me/'  said  Col. 
M.  J.  O'Brien,  the  president  of  the  Southern  Express, 
when  I  asked  him  about  his  early  life.  "  My  business 
career  began  when  I  was  seven  and  a  half  years  old.  My 
father  and  mother  had  died ;  and  to  support  my  sisters 
I  had  to  begin  at  once  to  earn  my  living.  At  first  I  re- 
ceived the  enormous  salary  of  twenty-five  cents  a  week 
in  the  publishing  house  of  John  Murphy  and  Company, 
Baltimore,  for  attending  to  a  roller.  Later  I  became  a 
clerk  in  a  wholesale  drug  house,  —  that  is,"  —  and  Colonel 
O'Brien  paused,  —  "I  opened  the  store  in  the  morning 
and  swept  it  out,  and  I  rose  to  be  a  full-fledged  dispenser 
of  medicines.  All  this  time  the  red  wheels  and  the  green 
bodies  of  the  Adams  Express  wagons  had  a  peculiar  fas- 
cination for  me. 

"  I  was  increasing  in  years  and  stature,  and  finally 
went  to  the  Adams  Express  office,  and  importuned  an 
official  there  so  persistently  for  a  position  that,  to  get  rid 
of  me,  — as  I  believe,  —  he  offered  me  a  job  as  a  driver 
at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  doubtless  thinking  that  would  scare 
me  off.  A  condition  was  that  I  was  to  leave  the  day 
after  the  next  —  the  Fourth  of  July.  I  accepted,  bor- 
rowed thirty  dollars,  and  started  for  Memphis. 

77 


78  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

"  My  first  trouble  rose  through  want  of  knowledge  — 
whether,  in  hitching  up  a  horse,  it  was  the  bridle  or  the 
breeching-strap  that  belonged  in  the  animal's  mouth. 
All  the  money  I  had  to  my  name  —  twenty-five  cents  — 
I  had  to  pay  a  man  for  that  important  piece  of  informa- 
tion ; "  and  Mr.  O'Brien's  eyes  twinkled  at  my  laughter. 

HIS    EDUCATION. 

"But  what  was  your  education  up  to  that  time?"  I 
inquired. 

"  When  I  was  eight  years  old,  I  reasoned  with  myself 
that  an  education  was  necessary.  I  attended  night 
school,  and  later  a  school  under  the  supervision  of  the 
Sisters  of  Charity.  When  I  was  able  to  afford  it  I  paid 
for  instruction.  If  I  had  to  start  life  over  again  my  first 
aim  would  be  to  secure  a  college  education.  My  educa- 
tion for  the  most  part  has  been  gained  in  the  school  of 
experience.  It  is  a  hard  master,  but  what  you  learn  you 
never  forget.  It  is  impressed  indelibly  upon  your  mind. 

"  Well,  when  I  first  put  my  foot  on  the  step  of  an  ex- 
press wagon,  in  Memphis,  I  determined  that  it  should 
lead  to  better  things,  that  with  intelligence  and  appli- 
cation it  should  earn  for  me  a  higher  position ;  and  that 
I  would  labor  heart  and  soul  for  its  attainment.  In 
other  words,  my  ambition  was  strong.  I  had  an  eye 
solely  for  advancement,  performing  my  duties  honestly 
and  faithfully. 

"Many  were  the  nights  that  I  slept  in  my  wagon,  on 
the  bluff,  waiting  in  uncertainty  for  the  arrival  of  a 
steamer  that  would  carry  my  freight  and  other  matter  to 
New  Orleans  and  other  points.  The  competition  between 
the  boats  was  very  great  in  those  days,  and  I  was  a  per- 
son much  sought  after  by  the  captains.  My  first  duty 
after  my  arrival  in  Memphis,  of  course,  was  to  repay  the 


THE  SOUTHERN  EXPRESS.          79 

money  I  had  borrowed.  My  salary  at  first  was  thirty 
dollars  a  month.  Out  of  that  I  had  to  pay  twenty-five 
dollars  a  month  for  board  and  lodging  at  the  cheapest 
place,  so  it  took  some  time  for  me  to  get  on  a  square 
footing  with  the  world.  Every  boat  that  came  along 
made  me  stay  to  some  meal.  I  quickly  saw  that  it  was 
unnecessary  for  me  to  pay  for  board  in  Memphis,  when 
I  was  continually  dining  out ;  and  therefore  I  merely  kept 
a  room,  which  was  a  saving  of  twenty  dollars  a  month. 
I  suppose  I  could  have  shown  favoritism  to  this  or  that 
captain,  but  I  never  did.  I  was  working  in  the  interest 
of  the  express  company,  and  for  them  I  worked  solely. 
The  first  boat  that  touched  received  whatever  I  had,  that 
it  might  be  dispatched  to  another  point  as  quickly  as 
possible,  and  facilitate  the  service." 

HIS    FIRST    SAVINGS. 

"  What  were  your  first  savings  ?  " 

"One  dollar  and  a  half;  I  remember  it  distinctly. 
When  it  reached  that  enviable  mark,  —  one  hundred 
dollars,  —  I  felt  like  a  millionaire.  There  is  a  great  deal 
in  putting  aside  your  first  one  hundred  dollars.  I  kept 
adding  to  it,  little  by  little.  I  always  lived  within  my 
means,  and  managed  to  save  something.  Most  young 
men  do  not  try  to  save  and  accumulate  a  nest-egg.  The 
majority  are  extravagant  and  readily  part  with  their 
earnings.  It  is  well  to  form  business  principles  early 
in  life,  and  to  learn  to  economize.  It  is  the  funda- 
mental principle  of  business. 

FROM    SHIPPING    CLERK    TO    A    CASHIER. 

"  All  the  time  I  was  a  driver  I  kept  looking  higher. 
After  a  while  my  employers  discovered  that  I  could  do 
something  besides  drive  a  wagon,  and  I  was  made  a  ship- 


80  TALKS   WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

ping-clerk.  At  that  time  Memphis  was  the  only  channel 
through  which,  by  steamboats,  connections  could  be  made 
with  Vicksburg,  New  Orleans,  and  intermediate  points. 
The  character  of  my  service  as  a  shipping-clerk  led  in  a 
year  to  my  being  sent  to  New  Orleans  to  fill  the  place  of 
cashier  in  that  office.  Previously,  many  business  houses, 
including  a  bank,  in  Memphis  had  made  me  tempting 
offers.  I  turned  a  deaf  ear,  believing  in  the  old  adage 
that  '  a  rolling  stone  gathers  no  moss.'  If  you  have  an 
object  in  view,  don't  swerve  from  it ! 

"Six  months  later,  the  Civil  war  broke  out,  and  in- 
flamed with  patriotism,  I  left  for  Baltimore,  hoping  to 
enlist  in  a  Confederate  regiment  in  my  native  city.  At 
that  time  the  business  of  the  Adams  Express  Company 
was  so  heavy  in  Washington  that  I  was  asked  to  accept 
temporary  service  in  that  city.  I  remained  there  six 
months,  and  then  got  through  the  lines  near  Louisville, 
and  went  South.  I  served  on  the  gunboat  'Bienville,' 
under  Captain  Poindexter.  My  naval  career  was  short 
and  inglorious,  being  brought  to  an  end  without  active 
service  on  account  of  threatening  conditions  that  caused 
the  self-destruction  of  the  immature  fleet.  I  went  to 
Eichmond,  hoping  that  Secretary  Mallory  would  give  me 
a  chance  to  win  fame  and  glory.  But  the  secretary  of 
the  treasury,  who  was  present,  induced  me  to  reenter  the 
express  service  in  special  charge  of  treasury  shipments 
going  from  Eichmond  to  points  south.  While  discharg- 
ing that  duty,  I  was  appointed  by  Eobert  Ould  commis- 
sioner of  the  exchange  of  prisoners,  to  his  bureau,  and 
was  attached  to  the  staff  of  Major  W.  H.  Hatch. 

"  After  the  war  I  was  promoted  from  one  position  to 
another  in  the  Southern  Express  Company,  until  in  1868 
I  was  appointed  general  superintendent,  and  subsequently 
became  vice  president  and  general  manager. 


THE  SOUTHERN  EXPRESS.  81 

"  The  Southern  Express  Company,  you  know,  was  the 
Adams  Express  Company  until  1860,  when  Mr.  Plant, 
representing  the  holders  of  the  latter 's  stocks  in  the 
South,  purchased  for  them  all  the  rights,  titles,  and 
contracts  of  the  Adams  Express  Company  covering  the 
South,  and  created  the  Southern  Express  Company. 

"Eight  here,  I  wish  to  speak  about  encouragement.  I 
believe  in  it  thoroughly.  Slap  a  young  man  on  the  back 
and  tell  him  he  is  doing  well,  if  he  is.  There  is  nothing 
like  it.  Mr.  Plant  continually  encouraged  me  by  his 
words  of  approval,  and  by  his  genial  manner  toward  me." 

"  Mr.  O'Brien,"  I  asked,  "  is  there  a  marked  road  to 
success  ?  " 

"  No  rules  can  be  laid  down  which  will  insure  success. 
Circumstances  play  their  part  in  every  man's  career,  but 
with  steady,  honest  endeavor,  and  unflinching  zeal  and 
determination,  a  young  man  can  always  meet  with  at 
least  a  fair  share  of  prosperity,  even  if  the  goal  of  his 
ambition  is  not  attained.  It  depends  more  upon  self 
than  luck.  The  youthful  mind  is  often  perplexed  to 
know  what  profession  or  occupation  to  follow,  but  ray 
belief  is  that  when  an  avocation  is  selected  it  should  be 
closely  adhered  to,  and  a  young  man  'should  not  be 
swayed  by  opportunities  for  temporary  advancement  in 
other  fields.  When  he  has  made  his  choice  he  should, 
like  the  cobbler,  l  stick  to  his  last,'  and  there  should  be 
no  limit  to  his  ambition. 

THE   SCHOOL   OF    EXPERIENCE. 

"  The  mind  should  be  fixed  upon  the  highest  position ; 
and  the  constant  struggle  to  attain  it  is  the  strongest 
incentive  to  win  success.  Without  disparaging  educa- 
tional influences,  which  cannot  be  valued  too  highly,  the 
school  of  experience  is  a  great  one.  Familiarity  with 


82  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

the  smallest  details  of  one's  business  is  essential  to  the 
successful  administration  of  any  concern,  and  the  man 
who  has  acquired  his  knowledge  by  working  his  way  up, 
rung  by  rung,  from  the  bottom,  is  the  best  equipped  to 
direct  those  who  perform  the  duties  which  he,  at  one 
time  or  another,  himself  discharged. 

"  There  is  nothing  in  existing  conditions  which  should 
discourage  young  men  in  their  pursuit  of  success. 

"While  their  numbers  are  growing  the  opportunities 
are  more  numerous,  and  the  young  men  of  to-day  have 
the  same  chance  to  win  success  as  those  of  a  quarter  of 
a  century  ago.  It  rests  entirely  with  the  individual. 

"Always  be  steadfast  and  loyal  in  promoting  the 
interests  of  your  employers,  and  let  strict  integrity  be 
your  guiding  star.  Feel  that  you  are  part  and  parcel  of 
whatever  business  you  are  engaged  in. 

KEEP    YOUR   PROMISES. 

"  Make  no  promises  which  you  are  not  sure  can  be  ful- 
filled ;  and  whenever  higher  honors  are  attained,  do  not 
forget  that  you  once  occupied  a  humble  position  ;  but,  on 
the  contrary,  make  your  individual  success  the  reason 
for  words  of  encouragement  that  will  stimulate  the 
younger  employee  to  persevere  in  his  laudable  ambition. 
A  kind  word  costs  nothing,  and  is  self-repaying.  Don't 
be  forgetful  of  a  mother's  counsel. 

"I  think,  on  account  of  the  common  desire  to  expedite 
business,  every  one  should  learn  stenography,  telegraphy, 
and  typewriting.  Such  men  are  in  demand,  and  can  find 
openings  that  prove  stepping-stones  to  higher  things.  A 
knowledge  of  languages  is  also  becoming  more  necessary 
on  account  of  the  growth  of  our  country,  and  its  interest 
in  exportation. 

"Stick  to  whatever  you  undertake  after  mature  de- 


THE  SOUTHERN  EXPRESS.  83 

deliberation,  —  that  is  my  motto,"  concluded  Col.  M.  J. 
O'Brien,  a  forcible,  courteous  gentleman,  who  started 
in  life  without  any  other  resources  than  energy,  skill, 
and  integrity,  and  to-day  controls  the  Southern  express 
business  of  this  country. 


XIV. 
A  FAKM  BOY: 

HOW   GRIT,    PROMPTNESS,    ECONOMY,  SAGACITY,  AND 
PERSONAL  COURAGE   HAVE   WON   THE   PRIZE. 


ONE  of  the  great  generals  of  the  War  for  the  Union 
once  said  that  he  knew  of  no  man  who  would  make  a 
better  commander  of  an  army  corps  than  Colonel  Albert 
A.  Pope,  of  Boston. 

This  same  general  has  known  Colonel  Pope  for  nearly 
forty  years.  He  knew  him  in  the  army,  and  watched 
his  career  as  the  boy  lieutenant  of  nineteen  won  rank  on 
rank  by  sheer  merit,  until  he  led  his  regiment,  the 
Thirty-fifth  Massachusetts,  into  Petersburg.  He  has 
known  him  in  civil  life,  without  other  capital  than  good 
health,  good  habits,  clear  judgment,  and  an  indomitable 
will,  rising  higher  and  higher,  until,  while  still  in  middle 
life,  he  is  a  multi-millionaire,  and  the  head  of  one  of  the 
greatest  manufacturing  concerns  in  the  world.  Colonel 
Pope's  own  workmen,  at  almost  any  time  of  the  year, 
are  numerous  enough  to  form  a  full  brigade.  What 
wonder  that  any  military  man  who  knew  these  things 
would  be  glad  to  entrust  him  with  the  handling  of  an 
army  corps  if  occasion  should  arise  ? 

Colonel  Pope's  career  is  another  of  those  from  which  a 
young  man,  whose  inherited  fortune  is  his  head  and  his 
hands,  can  take  much  encouragement. 

84 


ALBERT   A.    POPE. 


COLONEL   POPE.  85 


HE    WAS    A    FAITHFUL    BOY. 

Before  he  was  ten  years  of  age  he  began  working 
afternoons  and  during  vacations  for  a  farmer  in  Brook- 
line,  near  Boston ;  and  he  never  was  a  boy  who  shirked- 
He  was  full-blooded  and  bubbling  over  with  animal 
spirits,  and  just  as  ready  to  resent  a  slight  or  an  insult 
as  any  youngster  in  Suffolk  County,  but  there  was  nothing 
sneaky  or  mean  about  him. 

There  are  three  things  in  which  this  ten-year-old 
farmer's  helper  differed  markedly  from  his  fellows :  — 

He  was  a  natural  leader :  a  natural  trader :  a  natural 
money-saver. 

Opportunity  always  comes  for  such  a  boy.  Before  he 
was  thirteen  years  old  young  Pope  had  begun  to  buy 
fruit  and  vegetables  from  the  farmers.  He  would  go  to 
them  in  the  afternoon,  make  his  purchases,  and  deliver 
to  his  customers  before  school  in  the  morning.  He 
carried  the  produce  in  a  market  basket  on  his  arm. 
Later  he  hired  his  father's  horse ;  and  his  market- 
wagon,  with  fresh  vegetables  and  fruit,  became  quite  a 
feature  in  the  lower  part  of  the  town.  He  hired  other 
boys  to  help  him,  and  managed  his  affairs  so  thriftily 
that  in  one  season  he  cleared  more  than  one  hundred 
dollars.  The  money-saving  side  of  it  is  within  the  reach 
of  any  boy  or  young  man,  —  so  is  the  sturdy  honesty 
that  was  characteristic  of  this  young  trader.  No  matter 
what  the  stress,  young  Pope  always  stood  by  his  word. 

HE    KEPT    HIS    CREDIT    FIRST-CLASS. 

Young  Pope's  obligations  were  always  met  on  time. 
From  the  first,  he  made  it  a  rule  to  pay  every  debt  as 
soon  as  it  was  due.  This  was  vastly  creditable  to  the 
poor  boy  who  counted  every  cent,  and  who,  to  succeed, 


86  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

must  deny  himself  the  spending  money  that  other  boys 
in  his  condition  sometimes  have.  He  was  engaged  in 
character-building  as  well  as  in  credit-building. 

HE    NEVER    SPENT    BEFORE    EARNING. 

He  kept  careful  account  of  his  expenses.  There  are 
curiously  interesting  memoranda  that  young  Pope  made 
in  those  earliest  days  of  struggle,  —  twenty -one  cents  of 
expense  in  one  month,  eighteen  cents  in  another,  and 
fourteen  cents  in  yet  another,  —  and  that,  too,  while  he 
was  always  with  money  in  his  pocket.  This  gives  a  clue 
to  Colonel  Pope's  entire  business  career  —  he  never  spent 
what  he  did  n't  have,  and  relatively  very  little  of  what  he 
did  have.  To  this  day,  he  has  no  patience  with  useless 
expenditure;  and,  although  he  has  given  away  more  than 
half  a  million  dollars  in  charities  and  benefactions,  and 
has  surrounded  himself  with  every  sensible  luxury,  he  is 
annoyed  by  anything  that  savors  of  waste.  It  would 
mean  thousands  and  thousands  more  of  happy  homes  if 
this  knowledge  and  practice  were  universal. 

THE    BOY    WAS    IN    DEMAND. 

In  1858,  when  in  his  fifteenth  year,  he  went  as  an  as- 
sistant to  a  dealer  in  Quincy  Market.  The  boy  was  get- 
ting on ;  he  was  in  demand.  Before  sunrise  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  after  sundown  in  the  evening,  he  rode  back  and 
forth  in  an  open  market-wagon  with  his  employer,  facing 
the  severest  weather,  and  never  shrinking  from  any  work. 
A  few  months  later  he  began  to  work  for  a  firm  of  deal- 
ers in  shoe  findings  and  leather,  at  four  dollars  a  week. 
This  was  a  life  of  drudgery  —  porter  work,  washing 
windows,  cleaning  sidewalks,  carrying  heavy  bags  and 
packages  of  material,  running  errands,  etc.  Four,  five 


COLONEL  POPE.  87 

miles,  sometimes  more,  he  trudged  to  his  home,  to  save 
car  fare.     After  a  time  his  salary  was  five  dollars. 

AS    A    SOLDIER. 

In  the  winter  of  1861,  when  the  mutterings  of  ap- 
proaching war  filled  the  air,  young  Pope  began  preparing 
for  a  soldier's  life  with  the  same  systematic  care  that  he 
had  planned  other  enterprises  in  his  boyhood.  He  studied 
the  army  regulations  and  tactics,  carrying  with  him  a 
copy  of  "  Hardee  "  constantly.  He  familiarized  himself 
with  all  the  bugle-calls,  which  one  of  his  sisters  played 
for  him  as  often  as  he  wished. 

In  the  summer  of  1862,  when  Lincoln  called  for  "  three 
hundred  thousand  more,"  young  Pope,  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen, accepted  the  position  of  junior  second  lieutenant  in 
Company  I,  of  the  Thirty-fifth  Massachusetts  Volunteers. 

The  regiment  had  not  been  long  in  service  before  he 
was  made  a  first  lieutenant,  and,  soon  afterwards,  a  cap- 
tain. He  was  employed  on  important  detached  services, 
and  acted  as  commander  of  his  regiment  on  many  occa- 
sions. 

HE    ORGANIZED    A    REGIMENT    IN    A    DAY. 

Captain  Pope  was  highly  complimented  by  his  superior 
officers  for  the  ability  and  skill  which  he  displayed  in 
organizing  in  twelve  hours  a  provisional  regiment  of  ar- 
tillery from  the  convalescent  camp  at  Alexandria,  with 
which  force  he  advanced  to  the  defence  of  Washington  at 
the  time  of  Early's  raid,  assuming  command  of  Fort  Slo- 
cum  and  Fort  Stevens  with  forty-seven  pieces  of  artillery. 

He  served  in  the  principal  Virginia  campaigns,  with 
Burnside  in  Tennessee,  with  Grant  at  Vicksburg,  and 
under  Sherman  at  Jackson,  Mississippi.  He  commanded 
Fort  Hell  at  Petersburg,  and  in  the  last  attack  led  his 


88  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

regiment  into  the  city  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years. 
He  was  breveted  major  "  for  gallant  conduct  at  the  battle 
of  Fredericksburg ;  "  and  lieutenant-colonel  "for  gallant 
conduct  at  Knoxville,  Poplar  Springs  Church,  and  in 
front  of  Petersburg,"  March  13,  1865.  He  was  in  the 
battles  of  South  Mountain,  Antietam,  Sulphur  Springs, 
Fredericksburg,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Mississippi,  Knox- 
ville, Petersburg,  and  Poplar  Springs  Church.  He  was 
wounded  slightly  in  one  leg  at  Knoxville. 

But  it  is  not  alone  from  a  military  point  of  view  that 
Colonel  Pope's  army  career  is  notable.  The  same  habits 
of  thrift  and  economy  which  had  characterized  him  as  a 
boy  were  carried  into  the  service.  He  saved  his  money. 
While  other  officers  were  paying  fifty  cents  a  pound  for 
butter,  and  treating  themselves  to  costly  delicacies, 
Colonel  Pope  was  living  very  much  as  the  private  sol- 
diers lived.  And  so,  while  men  of  his  rank,  and  even 
general  officers,  came  out  of  the  service  without  a  penny 
saved,  he  came  back  to  civil  life  with  over  $3,000  in  cash 
to  his  credit. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  his  former  em- 
ployer, but  soon  went  into  business  for  himself,  in  the 
line  of  slipper  decorations  and  shoe  manufacturers'  sup- 
plies. Here  his  habits  of  thrift  and  his  keen  business 
judgment  brought  him  success  from  the  start,  and  he 
soon  had  a  large  and  profitable  trade. 

HE    FIRST    SAW    A    BICYCLE    IN    1876. 

It  was  at  the  Centennial  Exposition  in  1876  that 
Colonel  Pope  first  saw  a  bicycle.  He  was  fascinated  with 
the  mechanism  of  the  novel  vehicle,  and  returned  again 
and  again  to  study  the  exhibit. 

He  soon  became  convinced  that  'there  was  a  great 
future  for  the  bicycle,  and  he  decided  to  become  identified 


COLONEL  POPE.  89 

with  that  industry.  In  1877  he  placed  the  first  order 
for  an  importation  of  English  machines,  and  in  that  year 
the  Pope  Manufacturing  Company,  for  which  he  supplied 
the  capital,  was  organized. 

At  thirty-five  years  old  he  had  earned  and  saved  the 
needful  money. 

The  first  order  given  for  bicycles  to  be  manufactured 
in  the  United  States  was  in  the  spring  of  1878.  The 
Weed  Sewing  Machine  Company,  of  Hartford,  Connecti- 
cut, undertook  this  work,  and  was  soon  controlled  and 
finally  bought  out  by  Colonel  Pope. 

In  the  interests  of  cycling,  and  for  the  purpose  of  edu- 
cating the  American  mind  to  a  proper  appreciation  of 
the  advantage  and  profit  of  wheeling,  he  founded  the 
"  Wheelman ;"  and  put  upward  of  $60,000  into  this  en- 
terprise. The  same  publication  exists  to-day  under  the 
name  of  "  Outing." 

He  took  the  lead,  and  shouldered  the  expense  of  many 
of  the  suits  between  wheelmen  and  various  city  govern- 
ments, the  result  of  which  was  the  throwing  open  of  our 
public  parks  and  boulevards  for  the  use  of  bicyclers. 
These  decisions  practically  placed  the  bicycle  upon  the 
same  footing  as  a  carriage  or  any  other  vehicle. 

It  was  necessary  in  the-  earlier  stages  of  the  business 
to  exercise  great  care  in  the  matter  of  patents.  All  who 
owned  any  patented  devices  on  the  bicycle  as  a  whole,  or 
on  appliances  used  in  its  construction,  rushed  in  upon 
the  pioneer  company  and  demanded  recompense  in  the 
way  of  royalties.  Colonel  Pope  made  it  a  point  to  buy 
outright  all  the  patents  which  were  considered  valuable, 
and  thus  placed  himself  on  a  safe  basis,  at  the  same  time 
greatly  benefiting  the  general  conditions  of  the  trade  by 
licensing  others  to  manufacture  under  the  rights  which 
he  controlled. 


90  TALKS   WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

TALL    OAKS    FROM    LITTLE    ACORNS    GROW. 

Starting  from  the  small  beginning  of  manufacturing 
fifty  machines  in  1878,  he  has  built  up  a  phenomenal 
business,  employing  a  capital  o'f  over  $5,000,000,  utilizing 
four  factories  at  Hartford,  Connecticut,  with  some  eigh- 
teen acres  of  floor  space,  giving  employment  to  more  than 
three  thousand  expert  mechanics,  with  an  enrolled  list  of 
over  three  thousand  eight  hundred  agents,  and  having  a 
productive  capacity  of  more  than  six  hundred  bicycles  a 
day. 

Through  his  untiring  efforts  Congress  and  many  of 
the  State  legislative  bodies  have  been  aroused  to  the  ne- 
cessity of  better  roads;  and  throughout  the  United 
States  the  question  of  "  Good  Roads  "  is  being  agitated 
to  such  a  degree  through  his  persistent  work,  that  the 
day  is  not  distant  when  every  legislative  body  in  the 
country  will  be  compelled  to  take  measures  along  this 
line  of  needed  reform. 

Besides  being  president  of  the  Pope  Manufacturing 
Company,  Colonel  Pope  is  a  director  in  other  large  con- 
cerns, as  the  American  Loan  and  Trust  Company.  He  is 
vice-president  of  the  Society  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac, a  life  member  of  the  American  Academy  of  Politi- 
cal and  Social  Science,  one  of  the  executive  committee  of 
the  American  Association  of  Inventors  and  Manufactur- 
ers, of  the  Hartford  Board  of  Trade,  and  has  been  an  of- 
ficial visitor  of  Wellesley  College,  and  of  the  Lawrence 
Scientific  School  of  Harvard  College.  He  is  also  an  offi- 
cer or  director  in  a  great  many  other  prominent  corpora- 
tions. 

ECONOMICAL,    NOT    STINGY. 

I  have  alluded  to  Colonel  Pope's  habits  of  economy  and 
thrift,  and  to  the  influence  they  have  had  upon  his  sue- 


COLONEL  POPE.  91 

cess  in  business.  It  is  one  thing  to  be  economical,  and 
quite  another  to  be  stingy  or  mean.  Colonel  Pope  is 
economical ;  he  is  in  no  sense  stingy.  Waste  of  any  kind 
in  manufacturing  or  marketing  seems  a  business  crime  to 
him.  Waste  of  any  sort  annoys  him.  Said  he  to  me 
one  day  :  "  When  I  see  a  man  at  a  hotel  order  from  the 
bill  of  fare  a  number  of  things  that  he  does  not  want, 
and  then  muss  them  over  and  leave  them  just  because 
they  cost  him  nothing  it  makes  me  so  uneasy  that  I  hate 
to  look  at  him.  Such  a  man  can't  amount  to  much  by 
himself.  Every  boy  should  be  taught  to  save,  to  be  care- 
ful of  his  clothes,  careful  of  his  food,  careful  of  his 
money.  It  is  n't  possible  for  every  man  to  become  a 
millionaire,  bat  it  is  possible  for  every  one  who  has 
health  to  become  independent." 

I  have  often  noticed  Colonel  Pope  turning  out  super- 
fluous electric  lights,  and  I  once  saw  an  employee  get  a 
sharp  reprimand  because  he  started  to  do  some  casual 
figuring  on  a  clean  sheet  of  fine  office  paper. 

There  is  no  mystery  about  Colonel  Pope's  success  in 
life.  It  is  the  natural  outcome  of  conditions  which  any 
young  man  can  create  for  himself  in  greater  or  less  de- 
gree. And  I  am  sure  that,  beginning  now,  such  a  boy 
would  conquer  wealth  and  position  as  this  one  did  start- 
ing in  1858.  It  is  all  nonsense  to  say  that  opportunities 
no  longer  exist  as  they  did  then.  The  same  lines  may 
not  present  openings,  but  even  greater  possibilities  are 
within  reach  all  around. 


XV. 

A  FARM  BOY'S   KOAD  TO   FAME. 

PLOUGHMAN,  TEACHER,  LAWYER,  LEGISLATOR  — TOM 
WATSON. 


FEW  public  men  in  America  are  more  interesting  to- 
day than  Thomas  E.  Watson,  of  Georgia.  He  was  born 
on  Sept.  5,  1858.  His  father  was  a  tenant-farmer.  He 
rented  a  farm  of  a  few  acres  near  the  city  of  Augusta, 
and  supported  his  family  by  its  products  and  by  doing 
work  for  his  neighbors. 

Tom  was  the  oldest  of  the  children.  He  became  his 
father's  right-hand  helper,  feeding  and  attending  to  their 
one  mule,  and  doing  anything  else  which  his  strength 
permitted.  There  were  many  mouths  to  feed,  and  so 
young  Watson  had  little  time  for  school.  During  the 
winter  months,  when  other  lads  of  his  own  age  were  free 
to  go  to  school  and  enjoy  their  sports,  he  was  busy  haul- 
ing, to  the  neighboring  city,  the  cord  wood  and  light 
wood  cut  by  his  father.  It  was  only  when  the  land  was 
being  broken  up,  preparatory  to  putting  in  the  next 
season's  crops,  and  for  the  few  weeks  after  the  crops  had 
been  harvested,  that  the  boy  could  go  to  school. 

But  his  study  was  not  limited  to  his  school-days,  for 
early  in  his  life  he  learned  the  history  of  Alexander  H. 
Stephens;  and,  taking  him  as  a  model,  he  studied  at 
every  possible  opportunity. 

92 


THOMAS  E.    WATSON.  93 


STRUGGLING   FOR   AN    EDUCATION. 

When  little  more  than  sixteen,  young  Watson  managed 
to  spend  one  term  in  the  Mercer  University,  at  Macon, 
Ga.  But  it  was  to  be  the  end  of  his  dream  of  a 
college  education,  for  his  hard-earned  dollars  were  soon 
spent,  and  his  father's  family  still  called  for  his  active 
services  to  assist  in  their  support.  On  his  return  from 
college,  where  he  was  known  as  the  brightest  boy  in  the 
freshman  class,  he  determined  to  quit  the  farm  and  to 
try  to  get  a  place  as  teacher  in  the  public  schools.  To 
obtain  such  an  appointment,  influence  was  required ;  but 
young  Watson  had  no  influence,  and  for  weeks  he 
trudged  the  streets  of  Augusta  and  the  sandy  roads  of 
the  surrounding  country,  begging  work.  Then  learning 
of  a  vacancy  for  a  teacher  in  the  country,  about  fifty 
miles  away,  he  set  out  to  make  his  application  with  no 
other  support  than  a  letter  of  introduction  from  the  school 
commissioner  of  Augusta.  He  was  too  late.  A  teacher 
had  already  received  the  appointment,  but  Tom  learned 
of  another  vacancy  still  farther  on.  He  again  set  out  on 
his  tramp  through  the  country,  this  time  to  meet  with 
success,  and  take  charge  of  the  school  at  a  salary  of  three 
hundred  dollars  a  year.  That  money  all  went  to  his 
father's  household,  the  father  having  rented  another 
place,  which  proved  to  be  unhealthy,  and  where  some  of 
the  family  suffered  constantly  from  chills  and  fever. 

BEGINNINGS    OF    GREATNESS. 

The  next  year  Tom  succeeded  in  getting  a  place  in  a 
school  of  Augusta.  Then  he  began  the  study  of  law 
under  Judge  William  K.  McLaws,  who,  two  years  later, 
presented  him  to  the  bar  for  examination.  Tom  was  so 
poor,  at  this  time,  that  the  judge  requested  the  clerk  of 


94  TALKS   WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

the  court  to  "credit  Thomas  E.  Watson  for  a  license 
fee,"  which  the  clerk  did.  For  one  year  he  returned  to 
his  teaching  and  practised  law  in  the  justices'  courts. 
At  the  end  of  this  time  he  applied  to  one  of  his  old 
school  teachers,  then  living  at  Thompson,  Ga.,  to  trust 
him  for  a  year's  board  and  lodging,  so  that  he  could  get 
upon  his  feet  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  His  old 
friend  generously  consented,  and  this  proved  to  be  the 
turning-point  in  his  career.  Before  that  year  was  out, 
success  in  business  had  come  to  Tom  Watson,  and  never 
since  then  has  he  had  financial  trouble. 

At  twenty-six  he  was  one  of  the  best-known  men  in 
his  State,  and  one  of  its  ablest  and  most  eloquent  law- 
yers. He  was  elected  several  times  to  the  Legislature, 
where  he  became  prominent  as  an  advocate  of  all  meas- 
ures tending  to  help  farmers.  In  1890  he  was  elected  to 
Congress,  where  he  became  the  leader  of  the  Populists  of 
the  South.  He  received  the  nomination  of  this  party 
for  the  Vice-Presidency,  when  William  J.  Bryan  was 
nominated  for  the  Presidency.  Although  he  knew 
defeat  was  inevitable,  he  was  loyal  to  his  principles,  and 
refused  to  follow  his  friends'  advice  to  decline  the  nom- 
ination. 

His  home,  near  the  small  town  of  Thompson,  Ga.,  is 
one  of  the  most  comfortable  in  that  part  of  the  State. 
He  has  extensive  planting  interests,  and  besides  his 
large  law  practice,  he  devotes  much  "time  to  literature, 
and  has  written  several  books  on  historical  subjects. 

A  distinguished  man  of  his  own  State,  who  has  known 
Mr.  Watson  from  boyhood,  when  asked  the  reason  for 
his  remarkable  success,  said : 

"  Tom  is  earnest,  indefatigable,  and  resourceful.  He 
studies  his  cases.  He  goes  into  court  and  wins  them. 
He  displays  marked  oratorical  power.  Men  have  learned 


THOMAS  E.    WATSON.  95 

to  respect  his  ability,  and  to  know  that  his  character  is 
above  reproach.  He  does  not  chew,  smoke,  drink,  swear, 
or  gamble. 

"  Naturally  nothing  can  prevent  the  success  of  such  a 
compound  of  amiability,  intellectuality,  honesty,  ambi- 
tion, dauntless  spirit,  and  industry.  Any  boy  with  those 
qualities  will  go  to  the  top,  no  matter  whence  he  starts." 


XVI. 
WHAT  A  BLIND  FARMER  CAN  DO. 


EVERYWHERE  are  to  be  found  men  heroically  doing 
the  work  of  life  under  the  burden  of  grave  infirmities. 
Almost  every  community  has  such  men  and  women. 
Blindness  is  one  of  the  most  trying  of  adverse  condi- 
tions. Yet  what  marvels  do  the  blind  accomplish  !  Clin- 
ton, Ind.,  is  justly  proud  of  one  John  Walt  her,  blind 
from  his  birth,  yet  successful  as  a  farmer  and  fence- 
builder.  Some  things  told  of  him  by  the  "  Indianapolis 
Journal "  would  be  incredible  to  those  not  familiar  with 
the  achievements  of  the  blind. 

Until  he  reached  manhood,  John  lived  on  a  farm  with 
his  father,  and  it  was  not  uncommon  to  see  him  drive  to 
the  city  with  a  load  of  corn,  wheat,  or  other  farm  prod- 
ucts. A  piece  of  ground  was  given  to  him,  and  each 
year  he  would  plant  and  cultivate  a  big  garden,  whose 
products  he  would  market  in  Clinton,  and  place  the  pro- 
ceeds to  his  credit  in  the  bank.  He  would  buy  horses, 
cattle,  and  hogs.  Even  when  a  boy  he  was  regarded  as 
a  good  trader.  It  is  now  a  common  occurrence  for  John 
to  stop  in  the  middle  of  the  road  and  trade  horses  with 
some  jockey,  and  it  is  said  that  he  is  never  worsted.  He 
will  go  to  any  part  of  his  father's  large  farm,  unattended, 
in  search  of  a  truant  horse  or  cow,  and  his  searches  are 

96 


A  BLIND  FARMER.  97 

usually  successful.  How  he  manages  to  distinguish  the 
stock  for  which  he  is  searching  is  a  question  which  puzzles 
everybody,  and  a  mystery  which  the  blind  man  himself 
cannot  or  does  not  explain. 

When  he  decides  to  go  to  town,  he  makes  his  way  to 
the  woods,  and,  with  apparently  as  little  difficulty  as  a 
man  blessed  with  two  good  eyes,  selects  his  favorite  horse 
from  perhaps  a  dozen  grazing  in  the  pasture.  He  has 
each  season  for  years  been  a  "  hand  "  in  the  harvest  field, 
and  the  farmers  regard  him  as  one  of  the  fastest  and  most 
reliable  wheat  "  shockers  "  in  the  neighborhood.  It  was 
three  years  ago  during  harvest  that  the  blind  man's 
brother  became  entangled  in  the  machinery  of  a  harvester 
and  suffered  a  broken  arm.  As  soon  as  the  accident  oc- 
curred, John  started  on  a  run  from  the  field  to  the  barn, 
and  began  hitching  a  team  to  a  spring  wagon. 

He  worked  rapidly,  and  when  the  men  bore  the  injured 
man  to  the  house,  the  blind  boy  had  the  team  hitched  up, 
driven  out  in  the  road,  and  ready  to  start  with  his  brother 
to  a  doctor  in  the  city.  He  drove  almost  at  breakneck 
speed,  made  the  turns  of  the  streets  after  reaching  the 
city,  and  brought  the  horse  to  a  standstill  in  front  of  a 
doctor's  office.  After  assisting  the  wounded  brother  up 
the  stairway  into  the  office,  he  drew  out  his  watch,  slid 
his  index  finger  quickly  around  the  dial,  and,  with  a  sigh, 
remarked,  "  Just  half-past  ten  —  I  was  only  twelve  min- 
utes driving  to  town." 

There  is  no  work  on  the  farm  that  the  blind  man  can- 
not do,  and  during  idle  times  he  builds  and  repairs  fences- 
He  can  lay  the  "  worm  "  of  a  rail  fence  as  well  as  any 
man,  and  prides  himself  upon  the  rapid  manner  in  which 
he  gets  along  with  the  work.  He  built  a  plank  fence 
along  the  gravel  road  in  front  of  the  Walther  house.  The 
line  is  perfectly  straight,  while  the  workmanship  on  the 


98  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

fence  and  gates  is  not  excelled  by  that  of  many  men  who 
can  see  and  who  profess  to  be  carpenters. 

Strangers  visiting  the  Walther  farm  can  hardly  believe 
that  the  man  they  see  at  work  is  not  in  perfect  posses- 
sion of  his  senses.  He  apparently  sees  them  coming,  and 
asks  their  business  in  a  hearty  manner  that  conveys  no 
suggestion  of  infirmity,  and  troublesome  tramps  have 
often  been  frightened  away  by  the  energetic  voice  which 
responded  to  their  undesired  approach.  John  Walther, 
too,  is  able  to  back  his  words  with  a  strong  arm,  if  neces- 
sary, against  any  one  offering  provocation,  and  he  can 
defend  himself  just  as  effectively  as  if  he  had  perfect 
eyesight.  He  knows  the  difference  between  friend  and 
stranger  even  before  a  word  has  been  spoken  or  a  foot- 
fall heard,  the  intuition  present  more  or  less  in  every 
human  mind  being,  in  his  case,  acutely  developed.  The 
very  atmosphere  seems  to  convey  to  him  the  character  of 
the  person  who  is  coming  near.  .  John  Walther  is  in  all 
respects  one  of  the  most  remarkable  examples  of  compar- 
ative success  under  the  burden  of  physical  infirmity  that 
have  been  brought  to  public  attention. 


XVII. 
THE  BUTTEK  KING. 

SEVENTY  MILES  OF  COWS  AND  SEVEN  MILLION 
POUNDS  OF  BUTTER. 


JOHN  NEWMAN,  an  English  lad,  came  to  this  country 
when  seventeen  years  old.  He  had  a  trade,  that  of  a 
draper,  and  he  worked  for  three  dollars  a  week.  He  is 
now  the  butter  king  of  the  country,  skimming  the  cream 
from  an  average  of  half  a  million  quarts  a  day. 

Newman  was  born  in  Bishop-Stortford,  England,  in 
1842.  There  were  eight  boys  in  the  family,  more  than 
could  readily  find  labor  ;  while  there  was  no  prospect  in 
the  hamlet  for  a  man,  an  apprentice  might  find  a  place. 
At  fourteen  young  Newman  was  apprenticed  to  a  draper 
for  three  years,  with  no  pay  the  first  year  but  his  board  ; 
a  little  pay  the  second  year,  and  a  trifle  more  the  third. 
There  are  indications  in  his  later  success  that  he  thor- 
oughly and  faithfully  learned  his  trade ;  but  he  had  a 
dull  prospect  before  him,  certainly  no  vista  of  prosperity. 
Things  were  in  this  condition  when  his  Chicago  aunt, 
Mrs.  Robert  Pinkerton,  stirred  him  up  with  stories  of 
American  labor  and  American  rewards.  He  yielded  to 
her  persuasion,  and  when  his  aunt  returned  to  America 
John  Newman  sailed  with  her.  But  so  rough  was  the 
voyage,  and  so  severely  did  Neptune  handle  the  English 
lad  that  when  he  arrived  in  New  York  he  was  not  at  all 

99 


100  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

disposed  to  sing  that  "  Britannia  rules  the  waves ;  "  he, 
even  now,  has  such  unpleasant  memories  of  the  way  in 
which  he  of  the  trident  shook  him  up  on  that  voyage, 
that  he  has  resolved  never  to  see  dear  old  England  again, 
until  he  goes  over  a  suspension  bridge  from  Sandy  Hook 
to  Land's  End. 

THREE    DOLLARS    A    WEEK    IN    CHICAGO. 

The  travellers  reached  Chicago  on  a  bright  October 
morning  in  1859,  a  year  and  a  half  before  the  beginning 
of  the  Civil  War.  The  centre  of  the  business  section  was 
then  in  the  region  of  Randolph  and  Lake  streets.  The 
big  houses  of  the  day  were  Ross  &  Foster  and  Potter 
Palmer.  Rivalry  between  these  two  gave  the  English 
lad  an  uplifting  wave.  He  applied  at  once  to  Mr. 
Palmer  for  a  position  in  the  cloth  department;  this  was 
on  the  very  Saturday  afternoon  of  his  arrival  in  the 
great  city.  He  started  in  on  Monday  morning,  and  re- 
ceived his  three  dollars  at  the  end  of  the  week,  which 
covered  his  expenses  with  his  landlord,  lacking  half  a 
dollar.  Like  a  crab,  he  was  advancing  backward. 

But  that  faithful  three  years  of  apprenticeship  in  Eng- 
land began  to  tell.  He  showed,  that  he  knew  cloth  and 
knew  how  to  sell  it.  The  rival  firms  had  him  back  and 
forth.  Mr.  Palmer  went  to  New  York  and  the  rival  firm 
tempted  him  with  larger  salary.  Palmer  got  him  back 
on  his  return.  Thus  he  "see-sawed  between  the  two 
great  rival  houses."  But  he  was  always  discontented 
because  he  had  no  store  of  his  own. 

His  chance  came.  The  Crosby  Opera  House  was  to  be 
opened;  he  made  application  for  the  management  of  mis- 
cellaneous matters  in  the  auditorium  of  the  house. 
"There  are  thirteen  hundred  applicants  already,"  said 
Mr.  Crosby  to  the  little  English  fellow  with  the  funny 


THE  BUTTER  KING.  101 

little  coat.  "  All  right,"  replied  Newman,  "  I  am  willing 
to  be  the  thirteen  hundred  and  first.'7  His  letters  of 
recommendation  gave  him  the  prize,  which  he  knew  how 
to  use.  He  hired  the  doorkeepers,  ran  the  ushers  and 
programmes,  and  owned,  later,  a  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  pairs  of  opera-glasses,  which  he  rented.  This  was 
his  first  real  business  of  his  own. 

Newman  went  to  Elgin  to  visit  the  Pinkerton  boys  on 
their  Dundee  farm;  this  was  at  the  close  of  the  Civil 
War.  The  famous  country  store  in  Elgin  was  on  one  of 
the  five  corners  about  the  centre  circle  owned  by  the 
McNeils.  This  store  he  bought,  and  his  sign  went  up  in 
1865.  Twice  he  was  burned  out,  but  each  time  he  had 
a  new  stock  two  days  after  the  fire. 


THE    ELGIN    COWS    AND    CREAMERIES. 

How  he  came  to  cast  longing  and  loving  glances  upon 
the  Elgin  cow  we  do  not  know.  It  was  probably  the 
creamery  that  excited  his  love,  and  the  cow  for  the  sake 
of  the  creamery.  For  Lowrie,  of  the  "  Chicago  Times- 
Herald,"  tells  us  that  "Mr.  Newman's  aggregate  cow  was 
now  composed,  possibly,  of  twenty  individuals.  They 
gave  enough  milk  to  run  a  little  factory,  for  which  a 
little  spring  brook  turned  the  wheel  that  drove  the 
churn.  The  cow  began  to  grow.  It  drew  into  its  com- 
posite hide  the  aristocrats  of  the  immediate  Elgin  district 
—  proud  animals  that  drink  nothing  but  warm  water  in 
the  winter,  and  live  on  clover  blossoms  in  the  summer, 
and  cooked  food  in  the  cold  weather.  It  grew  to  include 
the  old-fashioned  brindle  cow  of  the  careless  farmer  who 
thinks  that  all  that  looks  like  milk  is  milk.  It  has  ex- 
panded until  it  is  seventy  miles  long  from  end  to  end  — 
a  solid  mottled  procession  of  milkers."  Think  of  a  pro- 


102  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

cession  of  cows  that  would  reach  from  New  York  to 
Philadelphia ! 

"  This  aggregate  cow  now  has  fifty-five  thousand  mem- 
bers in  its  make-up,  with  large  numbers  of  representatives 
in  fifty-two  towns.  There  is  hustle  and  excitement  at 
daylight  as  the  force  of  dairymen  go  forth  with  big  tin 
buckets  to  gather  the  crop  from  the  herd.  The  milk  is 
put  into  great  cans,  and  long  before  the  whistle  sounds 
for  the  city  workingrnan  to  march  to  his  shop,  this  army 
of  dairy-farmers  is  rattling  over  the  country  roads  bound 
for  one  of  the  fifty-two  factories  which  Newman  built  or 
bought'7 — the  same  English  fellow  who  started  with 
Potter  Palmer  at  three  dollars  a  week,  forty  years  ago. 

"  The  lines  of  wagons  form  in  single  file  at  the  intake 
doors,  and  the  contents  of  14,600  cans  — equalling  about 
two-thirds  of  the  milk-consumption  of  Chicago  —  are 
poured  into  the  fifty-two  vats,  from  which  machines 
whirl  off  the  cream,  in  steady  streams,  rejecting  the  blue 
remnant  with  twice  the  accuracy  of  a  woman  with  a 
spoon." 

The  butter-king  does  not  buy  the  milk,  for  milk  is  a 
very  uncertain  quantity.  He  buys  the  cream  in  the 
milk.  Milk  differs  so  much  in  the  proportion  of  solid 
matter,  the  butterine  material,  that  to  buy  so  many  quarts 
of  the  lacteal  fluid  would  be  an  impossible  way  of  doing 
business.  The  matter  is  calculated  thus  :  An  expert  takes 
a  sample  every  day  from  each  can,  which  is  put  into  a 
bottle  marked  with  the  patron's  name;  the  aggregate 
samples  are  tested  for  the  week  for  the  percentage  of 
butter  fat  or  cream.  Five  pounds  of  butter  to  a  hundred 
of  milk  is  considered  a  high  rate.  The  slip-shod  farmer's 
contribution  may  not  test  over  two  pounds  of  butter  to 
the  hundred  pounds  of  milk.  Newman's  system  has  been 
one  of  the  great  factors  in  making  the  Elgin  district  the 


THE  BUTTER   KING.  103 

most  famous  butter  country  in  the  world.     It  even  puts 
its  product  on  sale  in  some  of  the  English  cities. 

THE    CREAMERY    FARM    AREA. 

The  aggregate  Newman  farm  for  cows  contains  about 
250,000  acres ;  and  Newman  receives  between  seven  and 
eight  million  pounds  of  butter  a  year,  an  almost  incom- 
prehensible bulk  of  cream-fruit.  "  A  stack  of  the  tubs 
would  build  a  high  fence  around  the  great  pyramid.  A 
day's  output  would  spread  a  slice  of  bread  as  big  as 
Cook  county  —  and  spread  it  good  and  thick.  A  year's 
output  spreads  —  a  bewildering  slice." 

This  English  lad  has  served  as  president  of  the  Elgin 
Board  of  Trade,  and  of  the  Board  of  Education.  He  is 
a  good  example  of  what  boys  of  sterling  qualities  can  do 
on  American  soil,  no  matter  from  what  land  they  come 
to  our  hospitable  shores. 


XVIII. 

HOW   TO   SUCCEED   IN   BANKING: 

HONESTY  AND   STRENGTH   OF   WILL;    COURTESY, 
ECONOMY,  SELF-CULTURE. 


SIXTY  YEARS'  EXPERIENCE. 

PRESIDENT  WILLIAMS,  of  the  Chemical  Bank,  New 
York,  has  had  sixty  years'  experience  in  banking. 

"  Does  the  banking  business  require  any  peculiar 
talent  in  those  who  pursue  it  ?  "  Mr.  Williams  was  asked. 

"  No/'  he  replied,  "  any  intelligent,  fairly  educated  man 
or  boy  may  enter  upon  it  with  a  chance  of  success.  He 
must,  however,  be  scrupulously,  even  rigidly,  honest,  and 
strong-willed.  These  qualities  are  absolutely  indispens- 
able. A  young  man  may  possess  the  former,  but  if  the 
latter  be  lacking  in  his  character  he  would  better  seek 
some  employment  involving  less  temptation  than  bank- 
ing. The  first  thing  we  do  when  we  contemplate  engag- 
ing a  young  man  is  to  satisfy  ourselves  that  he  is  honest 
and  of  a  strong  will;  the  rest  does  n't  bother  us;  having 
such  material  to  work  with  we  can  soon  make  a  banker." 

THE   VALUE    OF    COURTESY. 

"What  conduced  to  your  success  from  the  start?" 

"  Politeness.     When  I  became  assistant  paying-teller 

I  at  once  recognized  the  necessity  of  uniform  courtesy  to 

all.     It  was  then  that  the  formative  influences  of  early 

life  became  of  practical  value  to  me.     My  childhood  had 

104 


GEORGE   G,    WILLIAMS. 


PRESIDENT   WILLIAMS.  105 

been  spent  in  a  professional  atmosphere.  Culture  and 
refinement  surrounded  me  at  home,  and  I  'd  have  been  a 
pretty  poor  specimen  of  humanity  if  I  had  not  imbibed 
some  of  it.  My  father  and  mother  took  no  pains  to  con- 
ceal their  contempt  for  duplicity  and  cowardice.  I  learned 
to  share  their  esteem  for  those  qualities,  and  have  tried 
to  impart  my  feelings  in  this  respect  to  all  those  who 
came  under  me  in  the  bank. 

"I  at  first  observed  that  many  a  shabby  coat  hid  a 
package  of  bonds  or  a  snug  sum  of  money,  and  that 
magnificent  attire  did  not  always  cover  a  millionaire. 
This  knowledge  suggested  to  me  the  prudence,  as  well  as 
justice,  of  being  courteous  on  all  occasions ;  and  I  have 
always  made  it  a  rule  of  the  bank  that  its  employees 
must  be  courteous  to  every  one.  Many  an  important 
customer  is  lost  to  a  bank  through  the  incivility  or  neglect 
of  an  employee.  We  act  on  the  principle  that  an  ounce 
of  politeness  saves  a  ton  of  correction,  and  that  no  institu- 
tion can  become  so  great  or  independent  as  to  success- 
fully ignore  the  rules  of  courtesy. 

"  I  cannot  too  emphatically  impress  upon  young  men," 
continued  Mr.  Williams,  "the  absolute  indispensability 
of  politeness.  In  this  bank  the  officers  and  clerks  are 
always  civil  to  whosoever  enters  the  doors,  and  the  ex- 
ample thus  set  clerks  and  messenger  boys  coming  in  here 
has  borne  good  fruit,  as  we  have  been  told  by  their  em- 
ployers. If  I  had  twenty  tongues  I  'd  preach  politeness 
with  them  all — for  a  long  experience  has  taught  me  that 
its  results  are  tangible  and  inevitable.  It  is  the  Aladdin's 
lamp  of  success." 

BANKING    AS    A    PROFESSION. 

"  Is  banking  a  profession  or  a  trade  ?  " 

"Neither  and  both.     It  depends  largely  upon  the  man. 


106  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

Some  men  will  make  a  trade  of  a  profession,  while  others 
lift  a  trade  up  to  the  standard  of  a  profession." 

"  Please  give  an  illustration  ?  " 

"  Some  men  go  into  a  bank  with  no  other  ambition 
than  to  be  useful  machines ;  at  a  salary,  and  in  a  position 
for  life.  This  is  by  no  means  an  illaudable  ambition,  as 
such  men  have  doubtless  recognized  their  inability  to 
grasp  questions  of  finance  ;  and  their  desires  are  measured 
by  their  capacity.  These  intellectual  machines  are  an  in- 
valuable part  of  the  mechanism  of  a  bank,  and  if  the 
president  be  wise  he  will  treat  them  well,  pay  them  fairly, 
and  try  to  keep  them  contented.  Of  course,  the  men  I 
refer  to  are  often  brilliantly  able  men,  but  they  are  phil- 
osophically resigned  to  a  good,  steady  situation,  that 
secures  to  themselves  and  their  families  a  comfortable 
income." 

WHEN    HE    LEARNED    A    GREAT    LESSON. 

"  When  did  you  learn  your  first  great  lesson  in  bank- 
ing ?  » 

"  When  I  became  a  discount  clerk.  The  handling  of 
commercial  paper  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  of  the  func- 
tions of  a  bank.  Any  fairly  educated  man  can  acquire 
the  technical  features  of  banking,  but  the  science  of  bank- 
ing is  the  study  of  men.  Now,  the  discounting  of  paper 
peculiarly  involves  such  a  study.  In  this  department  I 
learned  that  the  bases  of  all  great  institutions  are  in  the 
character  of  the  men  who  control  them,  and  not  in  the 
brick  and  mortar,  steel  rails,  or  money  which  are  behind 
them. 

PERSONAL    ECONOMY. 

"  A  man  may  be  a  member  of  a  most  reputable  arid 
wealthy  concern,  but  if  his  habits  are  expensive,  beyond 
what  his  means  warrant,  be  very  careful  about  his  paper, 


PRESIDENT   WILLIAMS.  107 

or  his  firm's.  He  may  not  be  living  actually  in  excess  of 
his  income,  but  he  is  in  a  dangerous  way.  This  principle 
applies  equally  to  great  corporations,  which  from  time 
to  time  require  loans  on  their  securities. 

"Finance  is  so  intimately  connected  with  all  human 
affairs,  that  the  man  at  the  helm  of  a  great  bank  must 
watch  all  points  of  the  compass  for  warnings  of  impend- 
ing storms.  It  is  the  study  and  knowledge  of  extraneous 
matters  in  their  relation  to  finance  that  make  banking  a 
profession. 

HASTE    TO    BE    RICH. 

"I  have  no  sympathy,"  said  Mr.  Williams,  upon  an- 
other point,  "with  any  man's  ambition  to  become  rich 
over  night.  Such  an  ambition  is  unwholesome  and 
dangerous,  and  is  the  offspring  of  aggravated  avarice  and 
ill-advised  enterprise.  One  can  count  on  the  fingers  of  a 
single  hand,  almost,  all  the  men  in  this  country  who  have 
suddenly  acquired  riches  and  have  retained  them. 

"  Why  ?  Because  it  takes  longer  to  learn  how  to  take 
care  of  wealth  than  it  does  to  learn  how  to  acquire  it.  As 
the  founder  of  the  house  of  Rothschild  once  said  : ( It  is 
easier  to  make  money  than  to  keep  it.'  A  great  many  men, 
however,  who  have  been  years  laying  the  foundations  of 
great  fortunes,  have  become  famous  in  a  day,  but  to  them, 
of  course,  I  do  not  refer." 

THE    SAVING    HABIT    FOR    YOUNG    MEN. 

"  What  advice,  Mr.  Williams,  would  you  give  young 
men  ?  " 

"  A  young  man  should  not  only  live  within  his  income, 
no  matter  how  small,  but  should  save  a  little.  This  may 
be  hard  to  do,  but  it  is  indispensable ;  and  I  don't  know 
of  a  successful  man,  who  has  made  his  own  money,  who 
has  not  had  to  do  it. 


108  TALKS   WITH  GREAT  WORKERS. 

THE  READING  HABIT  FOR  YOUNG  MEN. 

"He  should  remember  that  knowledge  increases  his 
capacity  to  make  money,  and  so  should  devote  his  even- 
ings to  study  and  reading.  He  should  also  avoid  bad 
company,  not  only  in  people,  but  in  books  and  newspapers. 
Self-denial  is  at  times  painful,  but  it  is  part  of  the  fiery 
ordeal  that  produces  the  true  metal.  The  value  of  time 
is  too  little  appreciated,  and  cannot  be  measured  by 
money. 

TEMPTATION. 

"  A  young  man  should  be  careful  to  avoid  temptation 
beyond  what  he  has  strength  of  mind  to  resist.  Tempta- 
tion is  necessary,  and  strengthens  character,  if  resisted  ; 
but  it  is  a  very  dangerous  thing  to  trifle  with. 

The  great  trouble  with  most  country  hoys  ivho  come  to 
the  city  is  that  they  have  n't  sufficient  stamina  to  resist 
temptation.  All  such  would  do  better  to  stay  at  home. 
The  cause  of  disaster  to  so  many  country  boys  in  the 
city  is  not  in  themselves  so  much  as  in  their  surround- 
ings. They  are  sociably  inclined,  but  have  as  a  rule  no 
society,  save  that  which  they  pick  up,  and  which  too  often 
proves  not  only  unprofitable,  but  actively  pernicious. 
The  city  boy  on  the  other  hand  has  the  advantages  of 
home  and  high  social  influences  to  guide  and  restrain 
him." 

THE    FIRST    PRINCIPLE    OF    SUCCESS. 

"What,  Mr.  Williams,  do  you  consider  the  first  essen- 
tial of  success  ?  " 

"The  fear  of  God." 

It  was  a  significant  answer,  which  came  so  quietly,  yet 
so  quickly,  so  gently,  yet  so  uncompromisingly,  from,  the 
man  who  has,  for  nearly  half  a  century,  practically  shaped 
the  policy  and  controlled  the  affairs  of  the  mightiest 


PRESIDENT  WILLIAMS.  109 

financial  institution  of  the   western  hemisphere  —  the 
Chemical  National  Bank. 

"  What  do  you  consider  the  most  laudable  ambition  of 
man  ?  » 

"  Live  to  build  up  a  temple  within  yourself.  Fear  God 
and  do  your  duty  —  that  means,  to  yourself  and  to  your 
fellowmen.  God  has  given  you  the  rough  marble  ;  shape 
it  into  divine  form  or  shatter  it,  as  you  will.  It  all  rests 
with  you." 

PRESIDENT  WILLIAMS'  PERSONALITY. 

He  is  a  son  of  Connecticut,  and  descended  from  one  of 
the  most  distinguished  Welsh-New  England  families. 
His  remote  ancestor,  Robert  Williams,  a  cousin  of  Roger 
Williams,  settled  at  Roxbury,  Massachusetts,  shortly 
after  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims.  From  this  sturdy 
Welshman  descended  the  third  president  of  Yale  Col- 
lege, and  also  Colonel  Ephraim  Williams,  the  founder  of 
Williams  College.  In  this  branch  of  the  family  is  num- 
bered William  Williams,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  David  Williams,  one  of  the  three  captors 
of  Major  John  Andre,  and  General  Jonathan  Williams, 
who  founded  the  Engineer  Corps  at  West  Point. 

Doctor  Datus  Williams,  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  resided  and  practised  for  nearly  half  a  cen- 
tury in  East  Haddam,  Connecticut,  and  was  one  of  the 
leading  men  of  the  State.  George  G.  Williams  was  born 
at  East  Haddam,  in  1826,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  in  Brainard  Academy.  It  was  at  first  his 
purpose  to  go  to  college  and  prepare  for  the  bar  ;  but  at 
fifteen  years  of  age  he  was  offered  a  position  as  first 
assistant  paying-teller  of  the  Chemical  Bank,  which  he 
accepted,  and  five  years  later  succeeded  to  the  position 
of  paying-teller. 

The  next  step  in  his  promotion  was  to  the  discount 


110  TALKS   WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

desk,  and  in  1855  he  was  made  cashier,  to  succeed  his 
old  friend,  John  Q.  Jones,  who  had  been  raised  to  the 
presidency  of  the  bank.  In  1878,  upon  the  death  of  Mr. 
Jones,  Mr.  Williams  was  made  president.  A  friend  said* 
that  Mr.  Williams  had  been  practically  president  of  the 
bank  for  forty-four  years,  as  the  duties  and  cares  of  the 
head  of  the  institution  devolved  upon  him  long  before  he 
was  president  in  name. 

The  Chemical  National  Bank  was  incorporated  in  1823 
as  the  Chemical  Manufacturing  Company.  It  was  re- 
organized in  1844,  with  a  capital  of  $300,000,  in  3,000 
shares  of  $100  each.  No  dividend  was  declared  for  five 
years ;  as  the  policy  of  the  bank  was  to  gain  public  confi- 
dence by  accumulating  a  large  surplus,  and  the  profits 
were  put  into  the  reserve  fund.  As  a  pioneer  in  the 
principles  of  security  and  strength  in  banking  the  Chem- 
ical Bank  has  been  successful,  and  it  is  due  very  largely 
to  Mr.  Williams'  rigid  adherence  to  these  principles  that 
the  bank  occupies  its  present  proud  position.  At  the  end 
of  the  first  five  years  the  dividends  paid  upon  the  bank 
stock  amounted  to  fifteen  per  cent,  every  two  months, 
with  an  additional  ten  per  cent,  annually,  making  one 
hundred  per  cent,  a  year.  The  bank's  surplus  is  now 
more  than  six  millions,  while,  since  1888,  a  dividend  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  per  cent,  per  annum  has  been  paid. 
The  bank  has  issued  no  circulating  notes,  and  the  capital 
is  still  the  same  as  in  1844.  On  the  rarest  of  rare  occa- 
sions shares  of  Chemical  Bank  stock  are  sold,  usually  in 
the  settlement  of  some  estate.  The  market  value  to-day 
for  each  $  100  share  is  about  $4,500. 

ONE  OF    NEW  YORK?S  LEADING    FINANCIERS. 

Mr.  Williams  is  one  of  the  men  of  whom  New  York 
and  the  whole  country  may  be  justly  proud,  as  he  has 


PRESIDENT    WILLIAMS.  Ill 

never  failed  to  put  his  shoulder  to  the  wheel,  with  other 
financiers,  in  times  of  great  national  financial  stress.  In 
1893  Mr.  Williams  was  president  of  the  New  York  Clear- 
ing House  Association,  and  an  ex-officio  member  of  the 
committee,  now  historic,  which  so  courageously  checked 
the  progress  of  the  panic,  prevented  a  disastrous  collapse, 
and  turned  the  tide  to  a  restoration  of  confidence.  Mr. 
Williams  is  connected  with  the  Union  Trust  Company, 
the  United  States  Life  Insurance  Company,  the  Eagle 
Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  Fidelity  and  Casualty  Com- 
pany, and  the  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company. 

He  is  not  particularly  a  club  man,  but  belongs  to  the 
Metropolitan  and  the  Biding  Clubs,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  and  the  New  England 
Society. 

In  1867  Mr.  Williams  married  Virginia  King,  of  Mas- 
sachusetts. Mus.  Williams  is  a  graduate  of  Rutgers 
Female  Seminary,  of  New  York  City. 


XIX. 

LINCOLN   BANK: 

A  BOY   PUT    UPON    HIS   HONOR;    THE    ELEMENTS    OF 
SUCCESS. 


THOMAS  L.  JAMES,  President  of  Lincoln  Bank,  New 
York,  has  a  kindly  face  yet  fearless.  He  impresses  one 
at  sight  as  of  a  strong  vigorous  nature,  honest  to  the 
core.  An  erect  and  large-framed  man,  his  manners  are 
simple  and  courteous. 

His  grandparents  came  to  this  country  from  Wales 
about  the  year  1800.  Among  his  ancestors  was  the  cele- 
brated Arctic  explorer,  Captain  Thomas  James,  after 
whom  James  Bay  was  named. 

HIS    FATHER    PUT    HIM    ON    HONOR. 

When  I  asked  what  particular  home  influence  was 
most  potential  in  forming  his  character,  he  replied: 

"My  father  and  mother  never  watched  me,  that  I 
know  of.  They  relied  entirely  on  my  honor.  This 
developed  in  me  a  spirit  of  truthfulness  and  responsi- 
bility which  has  been  of  immense  advantage  to  me.  My 
father's  theory  was:  ' If  you  treat  a  boy  as  if  you 
thought  he  were  honest  you  will  bring  out  all  the  better 
instincts  of  his  nature.7 '' 

General  James  was  born  in  Utica,  New  York.  After 
being  graduated  from  the  high  school  of  that  city  he 

112 


THOMAS  L.   JAMES.  113 

entered  the  service  of  the  proprietor  of  the  Utica 
"  Liberty  Press/'  as  an  apprentice,  to  learn  the  print- 
er's trade. 

"  My  first  experience,"  said  he,  "  was  in  folding  and 
rolling  newspapers,  for  which  I  got  a  dollar  a  week  at 
the  start.  After  a  while  my  weekly  salary  reached  the 
munificent  sum  of  a  dollar  and  a  half,  and  I  started 

A    SAVINGS    BANK    ACCOUNT. 

"  When  at  length  I  got  two  dollars  a  week  I  thought 
that  the  world  contained  little  more  to  be  looked  for.  The 
horizon  of  my  ambition  was  circumscribed  by  the  pos- 
sibilities of  my  native  town.  Beyond  it  I  had  hardly 
dared,  even  in  imagination,  to  penetrate. 

"  In  those  days,"  Mr.  James  said  to  me,  "  apprentice 
boys  boarded  in  the  families  of  their  employers,  who 
took  a  kindly  interest  in  them,  and  saw  that  they  kept 
good  habits  and  good  company,  and  that  their  leisure 
hours  were  devoted  to  profitable  uses.  I  cannot  too 
strongly  emphasize  the  great  benefit  of  such  a  custom. 
Boys,  instead  of  hanging  about  on  street  corners,  enjoyed 
the  good  and  refining  influence  of  home  life,  and  the 
society  of  reputable  men  and  women.  Drinking,  gam- 
bling, and  other  vices  were  not  tolerated ;  and  when  a 
boy  left  such  a  home  he  had  a  good  strong  body  and  a 
good  strong  moral  character  to  enter  the  battle  of  life 
with.  Another  great  advantage  of  this  custom  was  that 
the  employer  and  employee  were  brought  into  close  per- 
sonal contact.  They  exchanged  views  from  their  re- 
spective standpoints.  Each  was  taught  to  sympathize 
with  and  understand  the  other.  It  was  an  association  of 
labor  with  capital,  and  I  know  that  if  there  were  more 
of  that  sort  of  thing  to  day  there  would  be  fewer  strikes, 
and  no  occasion  for  walking  delegates. 


114  TALKS   WITH  GREAT  WORKERS. 

"That  custom  had  its  effect  on  my  life,  and  it  has 
been  a  cardinal  point  with  me  to  have  my  door  always 
open  to  my  employees  to  come  and  talk  with  me  on  their 
personal  affairs  or  their  duties." 

AS    A    NEWSPAPER    MANAGER. 

General  James's  first  newspaper  venture  was  when  he 
purchased  the  "  Madison  County  Journal,"  which  was  a 
Whig  organ  published  in  Hamilton,  N.Y. 

In  politics  he  was  singularly  courteous  and  considerate, 
judiciously  advocating  his  views  without  alienating  those 
who  thought  otherwise. 

President  Grant  appointed  General  James  to  the  post- 
mastership  of  New  York.  Here  he  did  such  important 
work  in  increasing  the  postal  facilities  that  the  commer- 
cial public,  regardless  of  political  creed,  was  prepared  to 
demand  his  retention  in  office  in  case  a  Democrat  should 
succeed  Grant  as  President. 

"  I  made  myself  familiar  with  the  minutest  details  of 
the  work,"  said  Mr.  James  to  me  upon  this  point.  "  I 
found  it  was  largely  a  matter  of  knowing  the  men  —  of 
finding  out  the  individual  capacity  of  each.  A  man,  in 
order  to  be  worked  economically,  must  not  be  overworked ; 
he  must  be  taught  that  those  in  a  position  of  authority 
over  him  are  actuated  by  a  spirit  of  justice  in  their  treat- 
ment of  him.  There  must  always  be  a  feeling  of  good 
fellowship  between  superior  and  subordinate,  a  oneness 
of  purpose  in  the  work." 

THE    STAR-ROUTE    PROSECUTION. 

General  James's  career  as  postmaster-general  under 
Garfield,  although  brief,  was  famous  for  several  reasons. 
He  discovered  an  annual  deficit  of  about  two  millions  of 


THOMAS  L.   JAMES.  .  115 

dollars,  which  had  existed  previous  to  1865,  and  had 
varied  from  year  to  year.  Keorganization  and  retrench- 
ment were  in  order.  A  wholesale  reduction  of  the  post- 
office  force  took  place.  The  reductions  that  were  made 
in  the  expenses  of  the  "  star-route  "  and  steamboat  ser- 
vices alone  amounted  to  more  than  two  millions  of  dol- 
lars, and  the  cooperation  of  General  James  with  the 
department  of  justice  in  the  "star-route7*  prosecutions 
was  one  of  the  great  events  of  his  career.  Subsequently 
he  sent  a  report  to  Congress  advocating  the  expediency 
of  two-cent  letter  postage.  The  fame  of  his  post-office 
reforms  both  in  New  York  and  Washington  became  so 
great  that  experts  were  sent  from  foreign  governments  to 
investigate  his  methods. 

After  serving  for  ten  months  as  chief  of  the  postal 
service  General  James  resigned,  and  returned  to  New 
York  to  take  the  presidency  of  the  Lincoln  Bank,  which 
he  still  holds. 


ELEMENTS    OF    SUCCESS. 

As  our  brief  interview  was  coining  to  a  close,  I  asked 
—  "  Do  you  consider  a  young  man's  chances  as  good  to- 
day as  they  were  when  you  were  a  boy  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  they  are  much  better ;  particularly 
in  the  West,  in  the  mining  and  railway  engineering  pro- 
fessions." 

"  What  do  you  regard  as  the  greatest  element  of  suc- 
cess in  the  men  you  have  known  ?  " 

"  Intense  earnestness,  pluck,  and  perseverance.  There 
is  very  little  of  such  a  thing  as  genius  in  the  world. 
When  a  man  is  called  a  genius  it  generally  means  that 
he  has  gotten  to  know  more  about  a  certain  thing  than 
anybody  else.  It  is  n't  genius  that  makes  a  horse  go  in 


116  TALKS   WITH   GREAT   WORKERS. 

two-twenty :  it  is  first,  that  he  is  a  good  horse ;  and  next, 
that  he  is  thoroughly  trained  to  perform  the  task." 

"  To  what  do  you  attribute  your  success  as  a  banker  ?  " 

"  Being  here  early  and  staying  late ;  and  having  an 
admirable  board  of  directors,  not  an  ornamental  board, 
merely  figureheads,  —  but  actual  directors." 

"  What  would  you  advise  a  young  man  to  do  in  order 
to  succeed  ?  " 

" Live  within  his  income" 


XX. 


THE  VALUE   OF  ENERGY,  ALERTNESS,   SELF- 
CONTROL  : 

THE   POSSIBILITIES  OF  ACHIEVEMENT   DEPICTED   BY 
ONE  WHO  HAD  A  GREAT  CAREER  IN   INDIA. 


"  THE  world  was  never  before  so  rich  in  opportunities 
for  a  young  man  as  it  is  to-day,"  said  Sir  Richard  Temple 
to  the  writer,  recently.  "  The  old  saying  that  there  is 
plenty  of  room  at  the  top  is  as  true  to-day  as  it  ever  was. 
And  this  room  is  not  reserved  for  age  and  experience.  It 
is  for  the  young  man  if  he  will  gain  it  by  hard  work,  and 
hold  it  with  the  ability  and  integrity  which  a  position  of 
responsibility  demands." 

Such  words  from  such  a  man  should  inspire  every 
youth  who  reads  them,  for  Sir  Richard  began  at  the  bot- 
tom and  earned  for  himself  an  extraordinary  career. 

To  start  life  with  a  modest  clerkship  in  the  East  India 
Company,  and  to  rise  to  the  governorship  of  multi- 
millions  of  her  majesty's  Indian  subjects,  is  surely  a  re- 
markable achievement.  ( 

Yet  Richard  Temple  did  this,  and  more.  The  story  of 
his  life  is  exemplary ;  it  is  fascinating  and  full  of  golden 
lessons. 

When  I  arrived  at  Worcester,  I  found  the  Temple 
carriage  waiting,  and  then  followed  an  hour's  delightful 
ride  over  hill  and  dale,  along  winding  roads,  hedge-bor- 

117 


118  TALKS   WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

dered,  from  which  sloped  fair  fields  in  such  perfect  cul- 
tivation that  the  country  seemed  like  one  vast,  well-kept 
park. 

Turning  from  the  highway  into  the  Temple  estate,  the 
road  wound  through  avenues  of  tall  trees,  between  which 
one  could  obtain  a  glimpse,  now  and  then,  of  "  The  Nash," 
a  quaint  and  many-gabled  old  red  house  with  tall  chim- 
neys, and  ivy  clambering  about  the  latticed  windows.  A 
wonderful  old  house  it  is,  worthy  of  a  volume  in  itself. 

For  a  man  who  has  lived  so  busy  a  life  serving  his 
country  Sir  Richard  is  a  thoroughly  travelled  man,  and 
it  is  remarkable  what  a  profound  and  varied  knowledge 
he  possesses  of  all  countries  and  peoples.  It  is  many 
years  since  he  visited  the  United  States,  yet  he  retains 
the  liveliest  memories  of  the  distinguished  men  he  met, 
and  of  the  cities  he  visited.  He  was  governor  of  India 
at  the  time  President  Grant  made  his  famous  tour  of 
the  world,  and  it  devolved  upon  him  to  receive  and  enter- 
tain our  great  warrior.  It  is  a  memory  he  cherishes,  for 
he  recalled  to  mind  incidents  of  that  time  as  if  they  hap- 
pened but  yesterday. 

After  dinner  he  took  me  to  walk  about  the  grounds, 
pointing  out  the  beauties  of  the  garden  and  hothouses,  for 
he  is  a  devoted  lover  of  flowers ;  and,  while  we  walked,  he 
talked  to  me  about  the  object  of  my  visit,  —  since  I  had 
asked  him  for  words  of  counsel  for  youthful  readers  in 
America. 

"  Yes,"  he  said ;  "  this  is  the  age  of  young  men,  and 
the  pity  is  that  they  do  not  realize  it  more.  What 
power,  what  wonderful 

POSSIBILITY    OP    ACHIEVEMENT 

there  is  in  youth.  Du  Maurier  has  said,  speaking  of 
human  possibilities,  that  each  of  us  stands  within  a  tri- 


SIR  RICHARD   TEMPLE.  119 

angle,  the  sides  of  which  he  called  heredity,  birth,  and 
education ;  that  we  can  act  and  achieve  only  within  these 
set  limits.  It  serves  well  enough  as  a  figure,  but  too 
many  young  men  rest  supinely  within  the  triangle  who 
might  step  beyond  it. 

"I  am  what  I  am!  That  was  my  motto.  Heredity 
certainly  stands  for  something,  but  achievement  stands 
for  more.  I  began  my  work  when  quite  young.  At 
twenty-two  I  was  in  command.  At  twenty-five  I  held  a 
most  important  position.  That  should  be  the  rule.  If  a 
man  is  to  do  anything  let  him  do  it  while  young.  At 
twenty-five  he  should  be  in  the  fullness  of  mental  and 
bodily  strength.  At  fifty  he  is  no  better,  save  for  a 
certain  polish. 

"The  mistake  many  young  men  make  is  in  their 
ignorance  of  themselves,  and  their  lack  of 

SELF-CONTROL. 

An  ancient  philosopher  has  said  that  he  who  conquers 
himself  is  greater  than  he  who  takes  a  city.  How  can  a 
young  man  expect  to  conquer  in  the  battle  of  life  if  he 
has  not  learned  first  to  become  master  of  himself  ? 

"  Temper  has  ruined  many  a  man.  It  should  be  abso- 
lutely controlled  in  public  and  in  private  life.  There  is 
nothing  else  that  will  cause  such  a  waste  of  the  vital  tis- 
sues as  anger.  Perhaps  you  noticed  that  Latin  inscrip- 
tion over  the  fireplace  in  the  oak  room,  — pulcherrimum 
yenus  victorice  seipsum  vincere,  —  '  the  fairest  kind  of  vic- 
tory is  self-conquest.'  It  was  the  motto  of  my  ancestors  : 
it  has  been  mine,  and  has  influenced  all  my  life. 

"The  days  of  youth  should  be  spent  in  preparation; 
but  it  should  be  preparation  of  the  right  sort.  A  young 
man  should  early  make  up  his  mind  what  he  wants  to 
do ;  and  then  prepare  for  that  with  all  his  heart. 


120  TALKS   WITH  GREAT  WORKERS. 

"  Failures  come  in  life,  not  always  from  lack  of  ability, 
but  from  lack  of 

ENERGY    AND    ALERTNESS. 

Failures  are  more  often  the  result  of  opportunities  being 
missed  through  inertness  than  from  any  other  cause. 

"  Robert  Peel  did  a  great  deal  for  our  young  men  in 
his  lectures.  I  remember  how  he  urged  always,  that 
success  can  be  achieved  only  by  making  use  of  every 
moment.  l  Never  lose  time !  Never  lose  time ! '  —  that 
was  the  watchword  he  would  have  young  men  take. 

"  If  I  were  asked  to  epitomize  advice  to  young  men  in 
the  briefest  phrase  possible,  I  cannot  think  of  anything 
better  than  to  echo  those  three  words,  — '  Never  lose 
time.'  Failures  come  from  doing  nothing. 

"  Young  men  should  be  active,  ready  for  any  and 
every  emergency.  I  remember  an  object  lesson  I  re- 
ceived when  a  very  young  man,  which  impressed  me 
greatly.  A  famous  boat  had  been  constructed,  and, 
strange  to  say,  the  builders  had  made  a  very  remarkable 
error  of  judgment.  They  had  made  the  boat  so  large 
that  it  was  impossible  to  launch  it.  I  do  not  recall  just 
the  details  of  the  affair,  but  I  know  all  the  great  engi- 
neers in  the  country  were  called  in  for  advice.  But, 
great  as  they  were,  they  were  helpless,  and  it  seemed  as 
if  the  beautiful  ship  was  doomed  to  destruction. 

"  One  day  there  came  a  young  man,  unknown  to  fame, 
who  looked  at  the  boat.  He  was  a  youth  of  resources,  of 
ideas;  moreover,  he  had  courage  to  believe  in  himself. 
His  plan  for  saving  the  ship  was  laid  before  the  firm  of 
shipbuilders.  It  was  received  not  too  warmly,  but  he 
was  given  permission  to  try.  That  was  all  he  needed. 
He  lifted  the  boat  right  out  of  its  perilous  position. 

"  <  It  can't  be  done  ! '     That  was  the  encouragement  he 


SIR  RICHARD    TEMPLE.  121 

received.  But  it  did  not  daunt  him.  He  did  it.  Readi- 
ness and  action,  with  good  sound  ideas  as  a  basis,  can 
overcome  seemingly  insuperable  difficulties.  That  young 
man  eventually  became  one  of  the  greatest  engineers  of 
the  century. 

"  That  is  what  young  men  should  remember,  to  be 
always  ready  and  to  be  energetic.  This,  you  will  see  at 
once,  means  that  one  must  be  always  preparing.  He 
must  be  studying  and  striving  always. 


OBSERVATION. 

"  I  think  observation  is  a  quality  that  is  not  made  so 
much  of  as  it  should  be.  No  matter  what  a  man's  busi- 
ness, he  should  put  his  best  thought  into  it.  It  matters 
not  whether  he  is  a  laborer  or  a  prime  minister.  He  is 
more  valuable  to  himself  and  his  employer  if  he  is  a 
thinker.  He  cannot  be  such  unless  he  observes  keenly, 
trains  his  eyes  to  take  in  everything  about  him,  and  his 
mind  to  reflect  upon  it. 

"  There  is  no  better  training  for  this  than  to  cultivate 
a  taste  for  drawing  and  painting.  Every  one  should 
make  it  as  much  a  part  of  his  education  as  '  the  three 
R's.'  To  be  sure,  it  is  very  necessary  that  there  should 
be  a  good  mental  balance,  or  else  many  would  be  led  to 
think  that  they  are  great  masters,  and  would  have  an 
absurd  desire  to  become  artists;  and  so,  going  astray, 
they  would  lead  a  miserable  existence  by  struggling  to 
become  artists ;  when,  if  they  had  simply  made  that  a 
pastime,  a  recreation,  and  followed  some  more  sensible 
work,  they  would  become  more  happy  and  useful  in  the 
great  beehive  of  life,  where  there  is  room  only  for  honest, 
energetic  workers. 


122  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 


SPECIALISTS. 

"  What  do  I  think  of  the  tendency  toward  specializ- 
ing in  every  business  ?  Ah,  that  is  a  peculiar  result  of 
the  mode  of  life  that  has  developed  toward  the  close  of 
this  century.  It  is  very  different  from  what  it  was  even 
twenty-five  years  ago. 

"  It  is  very  good  for  a  young  man  to  become  a  special- 
ist, because  it  is  a  necessity  of  the  times.  But  I  am  of 
the  opinion  that  it  can  be  carried  too  far.  No  man 
should  so  utterly  wrap  himself  up  in  one  phase  of  busi- 
ness as  to  make  him  ignorant  of  what  is  going  on  about 
him  in  other  ways,  and  especially  should  he  guard 
against  becoming  a  specialist  in  any  line  of  business  to 
the  extent  of  ignoring  other  branches  of  the  same  gen- 
eral work.  Yet  this  is  done  constantly. 

"  I  will  tell  you  a  story  that  will  illustrate  this.  When 
I  was  in  India  one  of  my  staff  officers  was  a  mathemati- 
cian of  unparalleled  brilliancy ;  but  while  he  was  squar- 
ing the  circle  a  riot  was  arising. 

"  Knowledge  is  the  great  thing  to  possess.  It  holds 
to-day  and  always  will.  Knowledge  is  power.  First, 
acquire  general  knowledge,  then  special.  Profound 
learning  is  a  splendid  thing,  but  knowledge  is  better. 

FAILURES    IN    LIFE. 

"  What  causes  failures  ?  Many  things.  I  think  suc- 
cess is  due  largely  to  heredity.  What  I  mean  by  suc- 
cess being  hereditary  is  that  birth  counts  for  a  good 
deal ;  that  one  may  inherit  qualities  and  gifts  which,  if 
put  to  the  best  use,  by  an  energetic  spirit,  will  insure  the 
highest  form  of  success,  —  on  the  other  hand,  if  abused, 
they  stand  for  nothing.  I  have  seen  many  young  men 
possessing  eminent  gifts,  starting  out  well  in  life,  make 


SIR  RICHARD    TEMPLE.  123 

terrible  failures.  The  reasons  for  it  have  been  many, 
but  chief  among  them  may  be  mentioned,  I  think,  lack  of 
energy,  and  an  improper  knowledge  —  an  inability  I 
might  say  —  to  realize  what  life  means,  and  why  they 
are  here. 

"  I  will  quote  for  you  a  classic  line  that  is  a  favorite 
of  mine,  and  one  I  remember  always.  I  hope  it  may  be 
an  inspiration  to  the  youth  of  America  as  it  has  been  to 
me.  It  is : 

"  'Strive  to  excel  in  whatever  you  undertake,  and  to  win  in  open 
competition.' " 


XXI. 

THE  RELATION  OF  PLODDING  TO  SUCCESS : 
THE  PREMIER  OF  CANADA. 


"  IT  is  the  gift  of  plodding."  These  words  were  spoken 
to  me,  one  afternoon  recently,  by  Wilfrid  Laurier,  the 
brilliant  Canadian  premier,  as  he  sat  in  his  sitting-room 
at  the  Shoreham  Hotel. 

Sir  Wilfrid  is  a  remarkably  fine  specimen  of  physical 
manhood.  He  is  tall  and  well  proportioned,  with  a  fine 
head,  clean  shaven  face,  and  brown  hair  which  is  fast 
changing  to  gray ;  and,  as  he  wears  it  rather  long,  it  adds 
to  the  classic  cast  of  his  features.  He  has  the  bluest  of 
blue  eyes,  and  a  frank  way  of  looking  at  the  one  he  is 
addressing  which  stamps  his  words  with  sincerity. 

He  was  speaking  of  the  element  of  success  in  life;  and, 
as  he  uttered  the  words  quoted  above,  he  struck  the  arm 
of  his  chair  with  a  large,  shapely  hand,  which  bore  the 
trace  of  character  to  every  pointed  finger  tip. 

"  It  is  not  a  popular^  axiom  just  now,  when  all  the 
world  seems  in  a  mad  rush,  but  success  comes  from  plod- 
ding," he  went  on.  "The  young  man  who  determines 
above  all  else  to  become  rich,  and  who  closes  his  eyes  to 
everything  but  the  almighty  dollar,  who  stops  at  nothing 
and  spares  no  time  or  pains  in  the  effort  for  wealth,  but 
who,  at  the  end  of  his  life,  can  write  his  check  for  a  mil- 

124 


SIR    WILFRID  LAURIE R.  125 

lion  dollars,  no  doubt  considers  that  he  has  won  success ; 
the  scholar  who  burns  the  midnight  oil,  who  turns  deaf 
ears  to  the  siren  voice  of  pleasure,  and  buries  himself  in 
his  books,  succeeds  in  winning  knowledge ;  the  statesman 
who  bends  every  energy  toward  mastering  statecraft  is 
successful  in  becoming  the  great  leader  of  his  party. 
They  all  succeed.  And  why  ?  Because  they  have  pos- 
sessed the  gift  of  plodding. 

THE  BOY  WHO  PLODS,  AND  THE  BOY  WHO  DOES  NOT. 

"  I  was  glancing  over  the  Canadian  papers  just  before 
you  came  in,  and  in  one  of  them  I  saw  a  list  of  names  of 
the  young  men  who  will  shortly  be  admitted  from  a  cer- 
tain school  to  the  Canadian  bar.  I  know  two  of  these 
young  men;  I  know  them  well.  One  of  them  is  un- 
usually bright ;  I  don't  think  I  ever  met  a  more  fortu- 
nately equipped  lad.  He  has  a  most  receptive  memory, 
and  a  pleasing  manner  of  address.  He  can  learn  any- 
thing he  undertakes  ;  and,  in  consequence,  it  was  an  easy 
matter  for  him  to  lead  his  classes,  when  he  so  deter- 
mined. He  has  the  natural  endowments  to  make  a  great 
lawyer ;  and  yet  I  doubt,  I  exceedingly  doubt  if  he  will 
ever  become  one,  because  he  lacks  perseverance;  and, 
while  he  begins  everything  well,  he  seldom  ends  anything 
well. 

"  The  other  lad  has  not  such  bright  endowments  — 
none  of  the  flash  and  brilliancy  of  the  first  one ;  but  I 
feel  morally  certain  that  there  is  a  great  future  before 
him.  He  is  n't  ashamed  to  plod ;  he  is  grit  all  the  way 
through.  He  undertakes  a  matter,  and  if  it  is  hard  he 
grapples  with  it ;  he  tussles  with  it,  and  he  sticks  to  it 
until  he  conquers  it.  He  is  a  French  boy,  but  in  his 
power  of  perseverance  he  is  thoroughly  Scottish;  and 
that  is  why  I  say  that  some  day  he  will  become  a  great 


126  TALKS   WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

jurist.       He  will   succeed,  because  lie   has  the   gift  of 
plodding." 

EDUCATION. 

"  And  what  do  you  consider  is  the  most  essential  requi- 
site to  a  young  person's  success  in  the  battles  of  life,  Sir 
Wilfrid  ?  " 

"  Most  assuredly,  in  this  age  of  the  world,  education 
must  be  the  underlying  foundation  for  the  future  success 
of  either  a  young  man  or  woman.  They  should  deter- 
mine that  no  sacrifice  is  too  great,  no  struggle  too  hard, 
which  will  give  them  thorough  education.  The  higher 
the  education  the  better  the  chances  in  life  will  be.  The 
uneducated  youth  is  handicapped  to-day ;  ten  years  from 
now  he  will  be  hopelessly  so,  for  each  passing  year  will 
enhance  the  value  of  education.  If  money  is  the  object, 
cultivated  brains  command  money ;  without  them  suc- 
cess in  the  professions  is  an  impossibility,  and  there  is 
no  avocation  which  is  not  helped  by  them.  For  this 
reason  the  importance  of  an  education  as  a  stepping- 
stone  to  success  can  scarcely  be  over-estimated." 

PERSONAL. 

Sir  Wilfrid  is  of  French  extraction.  His  ancestors 
were  among  those  who  left  the  land  of  "  sunshine  and 
romance,"  and  founded  "  La  Nouvelle  France."  The 
elder  Laurier  was  a  provincial  land  surveyor,  and  ex- 
pected his  son  to  follow  his  profession ;  but  while  still  a 
mere  boy  Wilfrid  showed  the  natural  bent  of  his  mind ; 
for,  whenever  he  could  do  so,  he  would  leave  his  school 
to  go  to  the  court  room  to  listen  to  the  legal  contests  going 
on  there.  His  father  very  wisely  encouraged  this  incli- 
nation, and  placed  him  in  the  school  of  L'Assomption, 
where  he  received  his  college  education,  and  after  which 


SIR    WILFRID   LAURIER.  127 

he  studied  for  the  bar  under  the  famous  Rodolphe  La 
Flamme,  who,  seventeen  years  later,  was  associated  with 
him  in  the  government  under  Alexander  Mackenzie. 

A    STRONG   SENSE    OF    RIGHT    AND    WRONG. 

From  his  earliest  youth  Sir  Wilfrid  has  always  had  a 
strong  sense  of  right  and  wrong,  and  it  is  this  instinct 
which  has  governed  his  professional  life.  No  question 
has  ever  been  too  difficult  for  him  to  weigh  its  details, 
and  to  decide  its  merits ;  and,  having  thus  decided,  to  be 
an  unflinching  advocate  of  what  he  deemed  right.  In 
consequence  of  this  he  has  had  frequently  to  face  intense 
opposition,  which  has  called  for  high  courage  on  his  part. 
This  was  notably  true  in  the  attack  he  made  on  Ultra- 
montanism  in  1877.  He  began  his  public  life  in  1871 ; 
in  1874  he  entered  the  House  of  Commons,  and  soon  be- 
came actively  identified  with  the  Liberal  party.  He  has 
always  been  a  devoted  Koman  Catholic,  but  shortly  after 
he  entered  the  House  of  Commons  he  became  convinced 
that  the  best  government  is  that  which  is  separated  from 
church  interference,  and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  say  so. 
This  brought  him  enemies,  but  when,  in  1877,  he  made 
his  fierce  attack  on  Ultramontanism,  and  on  the  floor  of 
the  House  declared  that  the  priests  of  the  parishes  had 
no  right  to  intimidate  voters,  he  created  vehement  feel- 
ing, and  many  of  his  best  friends  thought  he  had  com- 
mitted political  suicide.  He  was  defeated  at  the  next 
election,  but  it  was  not  long  before  time  proved  the  wis- 
dom of  his  position,  and  he  was  returned  to  the  House. 

In  1878  Alexander  Mackenzie  invited  him  into  his 
cabinet,  where  he  was  given  the  portfolio  of  Inland  Reve- 
nues. In  1896  he  became  premier  of  the  Liberal-Con- 
servative government,  a  position  he  still  holds. 

Sir  Wilfrid  is  one  of  the  well-known  supporters  of  the 


128  TALKS    WITH   GREAT    WORKERS. 

temperance  cause  in  the  Dominion.  He  is  a  leader  among 
men  because  he  has  a  reputation  for  unsullied  integrity, 
great  executive  ability,  commanding  eloquence,  and  be- 
cause he  has  a  kindly  heart,  chivalrous  instincts,  and  a 
thoroughly  lovable  nature.  He  married,  in  1868,  Miss 
La  Fontaine,  and  the  union  has  been  a  most  happy  one. 
Lady  Laurier  has  proved  herself  as  great  a  leader  in  so- 
ciety as  her  distinguished  husband  has  been  in  politics, 
and  their  home  in  Quebec  has  always  been  noted  for  its 
hospitality. 


XXII. 
JOHN  SHERMAN'S  BOYHOOD. 


JOHN  SHERMAN  was  five  years  old,  and  his  brother, 
Gen.  William  Tecumseh  Sherman,  eight,  when  their 
father  died.  The  widowed  mother  was  left  with  eleven 
children,  the  oldest,  Charles,  being  eighteen  years  old, 
and  at  college ;  the  youngest,  Fanny,  an  infant  of  three 
months.  The  family  was  not  in  poverty,  but,  consider- 
ing the  number  in  it,  "  with  spare  means  of  support,"  to 
use  John's  phrase.  The  father,  Charles  Eobert  Sher- 
man, was  the  son  of  a  Connecticut  judge;  he  and  Mary 
Hoyt  Sherman  rode  to  the  wilderness  of  Ohio  on  horse- 
back, carrying  the  infant  Charles  on  a  pillow  before 
them.  This  was  in  1811.  He  became  a  lawyer,  and  a 
judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Ohio. 

"  My  mother,"  says  John,  "  was  carefully  educated  at 
the  then  famous  seminary  at  Poughkeepsie,  New  York. 
I  never  knew  her  to  scold,  much  less  to  strike  her  chil- 
dren. The  separation  of  the  family  was  imperative,  but 
the  friends  of  my  father  were  numerous.  Charles  entered 
Mr.  Stoddard's  family;  James  accepted  a  clerkship  at 
Cincinnati ;  Tecumseh  was  adopted  into  the  family  of 
Hon.  Thomas  Ewing."  After  a  couple  of  years  of  school- 
ing John  was  received  into  the  home  of  his  uncle,  John 
Sherman,  of  Mount  Vernon,  fifty  miles  from  the  old 
homestead  at  Lancaster. 

129 


130  TALKS   WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

"  My  four  years  at  Mount  Vernon  were  well  spent.  I 
learned  to  translate  Latin  very  well;  and  obtained  some 
knowledge  of  algebra,  geometry,  and  kindred  studies." 
At  twelve  he  returned  to  his  mother's  home  at  Lan- 
caster. 

"  My  brother,  William  Tecumseh,  was  three  years  my 
senior,"  he  says,  "and  he  and  his  associates  of  his  own 
age  rather  looked  down  upon  their  juniors.  Still,  I  had 
a  good  deal  of  intercourse  with  him,  mainly  in  the  way 
of  advice  on  his  part.  At  that  time  he  was  a  steady 
student,  quiet  in  his  manners,  and  easily  moved  by  sym- 
pathy or  affection.  I  was  regarded  as  a  wild,  reckless 
lad,  eager  in  controversy  and  ready  to  fight.  No  one 
could  then  anticipate  that  he  was  to  be  a  great  warrior, 
and  I  a  plodding  lawyer  and  politician.  I  fired  my  first 
gun  over  his  shoulder.  He  took  me  with  him  to  carry 
the  game,  mostly  squirrels  and  pigeons.  He  was  then 
destined  to  West  Point,  and  was  preparing  for  it." 

John  Sherman  then  spent  two  years  at  Howe  Academy. 
Algebra  and  surveying  were  his  favorite  studies,  in  which 
he  became  proficient. 

"  I  now  recall/'  he  said,  "  many  pleasing  memories  of 
what  occurred  at  that  period  when  the  life  of  a  boy  is 
beginning  to  open  to  the  future.  It  is  the  period  of 
greatest  danger  and  highest  hope.  Even  at  that  early 
age  I  had  day-dreams  for  the  future,  and  my  mother  was 
the  central  picture.  If  fortunes  could  be  made  by  others, 
why  could  not  I  make  one  ?  I  wished  I  were  a  man. 
It  began  to  appear  to  me  that  I  could  not  wait  to  go 
through  college.  What  were  Latin  and  Greek  to  me, 
when  they  would  delay  me  in  making  my  fortune  ?  " 

His  brother  Charles  tried  to  persuade  John  to  stick  to 
his  course  ;  but  the  boy  was  resolute  to  pay  his  own  way. 
Before  very  long  a  good  position  was  secured  for  him 


JOHN  SHERMAN.  131 

in  a  surveying  party,  as  a  "rodman,"  under  Colonel 
Curtis,  and  John  began  resolutely  to  prepare  for  it.  He 
was  only  fourteen.  The  work  was  not  to  commence  till 
spring.  "  I  worked  hard  that  winter,"  he  says ;  "  for 
hard  work,  I  thought,  is  the  way  to  fortune.  1  studied 
the  mode  of  levelling.  I  saw  a  man  on  the  Hocking 
Canal  operate  his  instrument,  take  the  rear  sight  from 
the  level  of  the  water  in  the  canal,  then  by  a  succession 
of  levels  backward  and  forward  carry  his  level  to  the 
objective  point.  Then  the  man  was  kind  enough  to 
show  me  how,  by  simple  addition  and  subtraction,  the 
result  could  be  obtained.  I  was  well  advanced  in  arith- 
metic, and  in  mathematics  generally,  and  was  confident, 
even  if  I  was  only  fourteen,  that  I  could  do  the  work." 

Business  began;  and  he  learned  one  lesson  the  first 
day.  He  and  a  friend  started  to  walk  to  Beverly.  It 
was  only  sixteen  miles,  and  he  insisted  they  could  walk 
it  after  dinner.  "  I  was  a  little  tired,"  he  says,  "  and  I 
asked  how  far  we  had  gone ;  he  said,  *  a  mile  and  a  half/ 
I  began  then  to  appreciate  my  folly  in  not  starting  in 
the  morning.  It  was  sundown  when  we  were  six  miles 
from  Beverly,  and  I  was  completely  tired  out.  We 
reached  Beverly  about  ten  o'clock,  weary  and  hungry. 
This  taught  me  a  lesson  I  never  forgot  —  not  to  insist 
upon  anything  I  knew  nothing  about." 

He  bore  with  fortitude  the  demolition  of  his  tent  by  a 
storm,  and  the  successive  discomforts  of  a  rodman's  life ; 
but  he  convinced  the  men  that  a  boy  of  fourteen  could  do 
a  man's  work  skilfully  and  well. 

He  showed  his  sturdiness.  A  discussion  took  place 
upon  temperance,  a  school-teacher  and  the  roduian  advo- 
cating the  novel  idea  of  total  abstinence :  the  school- 
master was  mobbed,  but  Sherman  went  untouched. 

Afterwards  he  was  removed  from  his  position  for  polit- 
ical reasons. 


132  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

He  studied  law  with  his  brother  Charles,  at  Mansfield ; 
reading  Blackstone,  Coke,  Kent,  and  Chitty.  "  We  held 
famous  moot  courts,"  he  says,  "in  which  cases  were  tried 
with  all  the  earnestness,  industry,  and  skill  that  could 
have  been  evoked  by  real  cases.  I  have  always  regarded 
our  contests  in  this  moot  court  as  the  most  important 
part  of  my  legal  training." 

At  nineteen  he  was  ready  for  the  bar,  but  could  not  be 
admitted  until  he  was  twenty-one.  But  his  brother 
Charles  found  him  skilful  in  directions  which  were  dis- 
tasteful to  himself ;  and  John  was  prepared  to  make  a 
strong  lawyer  as  soon  as  he  could  be  admitted. 

While  a  rodrnan  he  had  read  much.  "  I  occupied  my 
leisure  in  reading  novels,  histories,  and  such  books  as  I 
could  easily  get,"  he  says.  "  Books  were  sent  from  Lan- 
caster, or  borrowed  in  Beverly.  I  read  most  of  the  Brit- 
ish classics,  the  "  Spectator,"  Shakespeare,  Byron,  and 
Scott.  I  read  all  I  could  find  on  the  history  of  America. 

"  In  the  law  office  I  read,  in  addition  to  the  routine 
books  prescribed  by  Judge  Parker,  a  great  variety  of 
literary  and  historical  works,  and  had,  in  effect,  practised 
my  profession  a  year  or  more  in  advance  of  my  admission 
to  the  bar." 

Mr.  Sherman  made  a  home  for  his  mother  as  soon  as 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  The  defects  of  his  early 
education  were  soon  lost  sight  of,  through  his  indomita- 
ble habits  of  self-culture  during  his  long  and  honorable 
professional  career.  His  ability  as  a  lawyer,  and  as  a 
practical  business  man,  brought  to  him  a  national  reputa- 
tion ;  and  his  service  in  public  life  made  friends  for  him 
throughout  the  Union,  and  greatly  endeared  him  to  his 
own  neighbors  in  the  Buckeye  State. 


XXIII. 

HE    WAS    EQUAL    TO    HIS    GKEAT 
OPPORTUNITY. 


JOHN  HAY  was  twenty-one  years  old  when  he  went 
into  Abraham  Lincoln's  law  office  at  Springfield,  Illinois. 
The  opportunity  came  to  him  through  his  uncle,  Milton 
Hay,  a  prized  opportunity,  no  doubt;  yet  the  young 
man  little  realized  how  great  and  far-reaching  in  its  influ- 
ence upon  his  life  would  be  his  association  with  Lincoln  ; 
or  that,  because  of  it,  just  forty  years  later,  and  after 
displaying  fidelity  in  successive  positions  to  which  he 
would  be  called,  the  premiership  of  the  President's  cabi- 
net would  be  offered  him.  Lincoln  was  then  just  fifty 
years  old,  a  leader  of  the  bar  of  the  State,  and  long  a 
champion  of  liberty,  conspicuous  in  State  and  nation  as 
the  antagonist  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  Lincoln  was 
attracted  to  Hay,  and  loved  and  trusted  him  till  the  close 
of  life. 

John  Hay,  the  fourth  son  of  Dr.  Charles  Hay,  was 
born  at  Salem,  Indiana,  October  8,  1838.  His  ancestor, 
John,  was  the  son  of  a  Scottish  soldier,  who  left  his  own 
country  to  serve  the  Elector-Palatine,  after  which  he 
went  to  Kentucky.  His  two  grandsons  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  War.  John's  grandfather  became  a  brick- 
maker  at  Springfield,  Illinois ;  he  is  said  to  have  been 
noted  for  force  of  character.  "  The  boy  John  grew  up 

133 


134  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

in  the  hardy  outdoor  life  of  the  formative  period  of  the 
middle  West,"  says  his  biographer.  "  A  good  constitu- 
tion and  a  fair  education  were  the  results  of  his  home 
surroundings,  neither  the  body  nor  the  mind  suffering 
from  want  of  development.  The  son  of  a  physician,  and 
grandson  of  a  soldier,  possessing  the  sturdy  qualities  of 
the  Scots,  but  conversant  with  pioneer  conditions,  some- 
what rough,  yet  instinct  with  fresh  and  noble  life,  he 
was  preparing  for  the  future  successes  and  duties  before 
him.  He  was  acquiring  a  thorough  American  educa- 
tion." 

His  mother  was  a  Khode  Islander,  from  Providence ; 
and  Hay,  at  sixteen,  matriculated  at  Brown  University, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1858.  He  became  a  member 
of  the  Theta  Delta  Chi  fraternity,  and  he  is  said  to  be 
still  an  ardent  fraternity  man.  He  was  decidedly  and 
eminently  gifted  in  composition,  his  college  essays 
achieving  distinction,  and  that,  too,  in  a  class  which  pro- 
duced journalists  and  literary  men. 

THE    EDUCATION   OF    A    GREAT    PRESENCE    AND    OF    HEROIC 

TIMES. 

Intimate  acquaintance  with  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
equal  to  a  university  education  in  the  formation  of  char- 
acter, especially  during  the  four  years  of  a  great  war,  seen 
and  studied,  with  all  its  stirring  events  and  eminent 
men,  in  the  nation's  capital  and  at  the  Executive  Man- 
sion. 

When  Lincoln  went  to  Washington  as  President  two 
men  went  with  him  as  his  secretaries.  One  was  John  G. 
Nicolay,  a  Bavarian,  who  had  been  Lincoln's  secretary 
at  Springfield.  Hay  also  went  with  him,  although  six 
years  younger  than  Nicolay ;  and  these  two  men  were 
associates  with  each  other  during  four  years  of  incessant 


JOHN  HAY.  135 

activity  in  the  service  of  their  great  chief.  They  were 
associated  also  in  that  last  fond  work  of  preparing  a 
standard  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  fruit  of  many 
years  of  reflection  and  study  upon  the  great  man  and  the 
great  events  of  the  Civil  War,  concerning  which  they  say 
they  were  so  fully  agreed  that  every  part  of  it  is  the 
statement  and  sentiment  of  each.  This  "  Life  of  Lin- 
coln" ran  through  two  or  three  years  of  "The  Century" 
before  it  was  issued  in  book  form. 

"  We  knew  Mr.  Lincoln  intimately  before  his  election 
to  the  Presidency,"  said  Mr.  Hay.  "We  came  from 
Illinois  to  Washington  with  him,  and  remained  by  his 
side  and  in  his  service  —  separately  or  together  —  until 
the  day  of  his  death.  We  are  the  daily  and  nightly  wit- 
nesses of  the  incidents  and  anxieties,  the  fears  and  the 
hopes  which  prevaded  the  Executive  Mansion  and  the 
National  Capital. 

"  If  we  gained  nothing  else  by  our  long  association 
with  Mr.  Lincoln,  we  hope,  at  least,  that  we  acquired 
from  him  the  habit  of  judging  men  and  events  with 
candor  and  impartiality." 

Lincoln's  confidence  in  this  young  man  of  twenty-five 
made  him  the  President's  adjutant  and  aid-de-camp,  and 
gave  him  a  position  of  service  for  several  months  under 
General  Hunter  and  General  Gilmore,  with  the  rank  of 
major;  he  became  lieutenant-colonel  and  colonel  by 
brevet,  and  later  he  was  often  known,  especially 
among  politicians  and  journalists,  as  "  Colonel  Hay." 
He  was  one  of  the  score  of  persons  who  witnessed  the 
death  of  the  Martyr-President,  whom  he  had  loved  and 
served. 

If  he  had  chosen  his  career,  and  perhaps  he  did, 
he  could  not  have  travelled  a  better  path  than  he  did 
to  secure  personal  development  and  expansion.  Like 


136  TALKS   WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

a  precious  fabric,  which  is  subjected  to  a  succession  of 
processes,  each  of  which  adds  value  to  it,  so  John  Hay 
was  passed  in  rapid  succession,  from  one  European  capi- 
tal to  another,  so  that  he  could  fully  comprehend  their 
peculiarities  and  their  needs.  At  Paris,  the  great  capital 
of  France,  he  was  first  secretary  of  the  legation  from 
1865  to  1867;  then,  at  the  Austrian  capital,  he  was 
charge  d'affaires,  in  1867 ;  and  at  the  Spanish  capital  he 
was  General  Sickles's  secretary  of  legation,  until  1870. 
It  was  as  if  he  had  a  prolonged  educational  tour  of  these 
three  great  European  countries,  while  all  the  time  he 
was  practising  and  studying  diplomacy. 

THE  NOBLE  COMPANY  OF  AUTHORS. 

Like  Lowell,  whom  he  resembles  in  some  essential 
respects,  in  fibre,  in  virility,  polish,  and  sturdy,  yet  well- 
curbed  Americanism,  like  Bancroft  also,  Hay  was  an 
author,  and  of  both  prose  and  verse,  in  each  of  which  he 
wrote  what  has  been  read  everywhere.  His  "Life  of 
Lincoln"  —  for  which  he  received  $50,000  —  would,  of 
course,  make  him  eminent  among  biographers ;  yet  it  is 
a  work  which  is  said  to  be  little  known  in  England.  The 
"  Pike  County  Ballads,"  with  the  new  literary  creations, 
"Jim  Bludso"  and  "Little  Breeches,"  were  written  dur- 
ing three  weeks  of  leisure,  in  1871.  "I  accumulated 
thirty  or  forty,"  he  said,  "and  these,  with  some  I  had 
written  during  niy  college  days,  were  handed  to  Mr. 
Field,  who  made  a  volume  of  them.  I  had  not  intended 
to  publish  them  in  book  form."  "  The  Breadwinners," 
a  striking  story  of  Cleveland  life,  whose  authorship  was 
long  a  literary  mystery,  Colonel  Hay  recently  acknowl- 
edged. His  "  Castilian  Days,"  which  has  been  compared 
with  Howell's  "Venetian  Life,"  gives  instructive  and 
delightful  sketches  of  Spanish  scenes  and  character, 


JOHN  HAY.  137 

especially  timely  and  interesting  reading  now.  One  of 
his  most  spirited  poems,  which  shows  his  keen  sympathy 
with  Spain,  begins : 

41  Land  of  unconquered  Pelayo  !  Land  of  the  Cid  Campeador, 
Sea-girdled  mother  of  men !  Spain,  name  of  glory  and  power ! " 

Some  of  Hay's  "Distiches"  display  a  penetrating 
study  of  human  nature ;  these  are  specimens : 

Who  would  succeed  in  the  world  should  be  wise  in  the  use  of  his 

pronouns ; 
Utter  the  You  twenty  times  where  once  you  utter  the  I. 

Be  not  too  anxious  to  gain  your  next-door  neighbor's  approval ; 
Live  your  own  life,  and  let  him  strive  your  approval  to  gain. 

Try  not  to  beat  back  the  current,  yet  be  not  drowned  in  its  waters  ; 
Speak  with  the  speech  of  the  world ;  think  with  the  thoughts  of  the 
few. 

Make  all   good   men  your  well-wishers,  and  then,  in   the   years' 

steady  sifting, 
Some  of  them  turn  to  friends.     Friends  are  the  sunshine  of  life. 

That  nothing  might  be  wanting  to  this  man,  who  did 
everything  admirably,  Hay  was  called  to  the  staff  of  the 
"  New  York  Tribune  "  for  five  years  ;  and  when  White- 
law  Reid  was  absent  in  Europe  for  seven  months  Colonel 
Hay  was  the  only  one  with  whom  he  would  leave  the 
responsibility  of  that  great  paper. 

This  man  who  asked  for  wisdom  got,  also,  riches  and 
a  good  wife  together.  He  married  one  of  the  daughters 
of  Amasa  Stone,  of  Cleveland,  an  extraordinary  and 
exceedingly  wealthy  man,  who  founded  Adelbert  College 
with  a  third  of  his  property,  in  memory  of  his  son.  To 
John  Hay  he  gave  a  beautiful  home  on  Euclid  avenue ; 


138  TALKS    WITH   GREAT   WORKERS. 

and  Hay,  who  was  practically  penniless  when  he  married 
Miss  Stone,  received  from  her  father,  it  is  said,  from 
one  to  two  million  dollars.  He  also  received  the  degree 
of  LL.D.,  from  his  alma  mater,  a  year  ago.  "  Thou  hast 
asked  wisdom ;  thou  shalt  have  riches  and  honor." 

Hay  always  has  had  great  political  influence  in  a  quiet 
way,  and  was  undemonstratively  active,  in  1876,  1880, 
and  1884.  He  was  a  decided  friend  of  McKiuley,  and, 
after  Hanna,  he  was  the  leading  spirit  in  the  McKinley 
campaign  councils.  He  is  said  to  have  set  in  motion  the 
wave  of  McKinley  enthusiasm. 

After  all,  he  is  only  stepping  one  step  higher ;  for,  as 
few  may  be  aware,  he  was  Assistant  Secretary  of  State 
from  1879  to  1881. 

As  the  United  States  Minister  at  the  Court  of  St.  James, 
he  made  a  host  of  friends  in  Great  Britain ;  and  as  Secre- 
tary of  State,  under  President  McKinley,  he  has  been 
easily  equal  to  his  great  opportunity. 


CHARLES    M.    SCHWAB. 


XXIV. 

THE   WORKING  MEN  WHO  WERE  CARNEGIE'S 
PARTNERS. 

VIGOR  AND   SELF-RELIANCE,  ABILITY  AND  FIDELITY, 
ONWARD   EVER,    ALWAYS   UPWARD. 


PART  I. 

NOWHERE  except  in  America,  and  seldom  even  there 
could  such  a  story  as  this  be  told.  It  is  the  story  of  a 
man  who  rose  without  influence  from  poverty  to  wealth, 
who  climbed  the  difficult  ladder  of  achievement  by  force 
of  will,  who  helped  to  make  others  wealthy  at  the  same 
time,  and  who  passed  within  a  few  years,  from  the 
humble  environment  of  a  stake  driver  in  an  engineer 
corps  to  the  leadership  of  forty-five  thousand  men  in  an 
industry  so  vast  that  the  mythical  tales  of  the  Titans  of 
old  are  exceeded  by  the  modern  reality.  Such  is  the 
marvellous  record  of  Charles  M.  Schwab,  so  long  the 
vigorous  young  president  of  the  Carnegie  Steel  Company, 
who  is  now  at  the  head  of  the  great  billion  dollar  steel 
plant  on  Staten  Island.  Little  more  than  a  score  of 
years  ago  he  was  earning  one  dollar  a  day  in  the  Car- 
negie works.  He  has  now  acquired  a  property  of  more 
than  forty  millions  of  dollars,  and  he  is  said  to  draw  the 
biggest  salary  paid  to  a  business  man  in  the  world. 

Why  did  this  boy,  among  thousands  of  other  boys  who 
had  the  same  chance,  rise  to  fame,  while  they  did  not  ? 

139 


140  TALKS    WITH   GREAT    WORKERS. 

What  is  the  kernel  in  the  nut  ?     How  did  he  do  it  ?     I 
went  a  thousand  miles  to  find  out. 

It  was  unnecessary  for  me  to  make  an  elaborate  ex- 
planation of  the  spirit  of  my  errand.  Mr.  Schwab  said 
at  once  :  u  If  my  example  will  prove  of  interest  or  help 
to  others  you  are  welcome  to  it.  There  are  certainly 
some  lessons  I  have  learned,  and  some  rules  of  conduct  I 
have  observed,  which  are  of  general  value." 

SELF-RELIANT     AND     VIGOROUS,    HE     AIMED    TO     EXCEL. 

We  plunged  at  once  into  the  story  of  his  life :  how  he 
first  acquired  a  public  school  education  in  his  native 
village  of  Loretto,  Pennsylvania,  and,  at  fifteen  years  of 
age,  drove  a  mail  wagon  between  Loretto  and  Crescent, 
a  neighboring  town.  A  year  later  found  him  working  in 
a  grocery  store  at  Braddock,  at  ten  dollars  a  month  and 
board.  There  he  worked  hard  all  day,  and  slept  in  the 
store  at  night  as  a  watchman.  Occasionally  he  was  given 
a  few  hours  for  recreation,  and  these  he  invariably  spent 
in  the  steel  works  at  Braddock,  which  had  a  fascination 
for  him.  In  1880,  to  his  great  joy,  he  obtained  a  place 
in  the  Carnegie  works.  The  plant,  then,  was  not  the 
great  concern  it  is  now,  nor  was  the  young  man's  position 
a  lucrative  one  ;  yet  the  opportunity  to  gratify  his  incli- 
nation was  most  welcome.  He  became  stake  driver  in 
the  engineer  corps,  at  thirty  dollars  per  month,  during 
the  erection  of  some  buildings.  In  just  seven  years  of 
study  and  work  he  became  chief  engineer,  and  was  sent, 
in  that  capacity,  to  build  the  great  Homestead  steel  plant, 
which  he  managed  for  two  years  after  its  completion. 
Then  he  was  sent  to  be  manager  of  the  Edgar  Thomson 
Steel  Works  for  two  years. 

"  How  do  you  explain  your  rapid  promotion  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  In  the  first  place,"   replied  Mr.  Schwab,   "  I  always 


CHARLES  M.   SCHWAB.  141 

stood  on  my  own  feet  —  always  relied  upon  myself.  It  is 
really  a  detriment  to  have  any  one  behind  you.  When  you 
depend  upon  yourself  you  know  that  it  is  only  on  your 
merit  that  you  will  succeed.  Then  you  discover  your 
latent  powers,  awake  to  your  manhood,  and  are  on 
your  mettle  to  do  your  utmost.  It  is  a  very  good  motto 
to  depend  upon  yourself.  I  am  a  great  believer  in  self- 
reliant  manliness,  which  is  manhood  in  its  noblest  form. 

"  There  was  one  thing  that  I  discovered  very  early,  — 
that  it  would  be  well  to  make  myself  indispensable,  instead 
of  continually  looking  at  the  clock.  Employers  appreciate 
to  the  full  men  who  may  be  trusted  to  do  their  work  as 
if  they  were  working  for  themselves. 

"  We  do  everything  in  our  power  to  make  men  realize 
their  importance.  Once  a  week,  every  Saturday,  I  have 
the  heads  of  the  various  departments,  upward  of  forty, 
take  luncheon  with  me.  Not  a  word  of  business  is  per- 
mitted during  the  meal ;  but  after  everything  is  cleared 
away  we  discuss  matters  in  hand  and  exchange  opinions. 
Every  one  of  the  gentlemen  present  is  at  liberty  to  advise, 
to  suggest,  and  to  air  his  ideas.  The  value  of  these 
meetings  is  very  great.  On  Monday  the  gentlemen  who 
have  lunched  with  me  call  their  head  men  together,  and 
have  similar  meetings. 

"  When  I  first  went  to  work  for  Mr.  Carnegie  I  had 
over  me  an  impetuous,  hustling  man.  It  was  necessary 
for  me  to  be  up  to  the  top  notch  to  give  satisfaction.  I 
worked  faster  than  I  otherwise  would  have  done,  and 
to  him  I  attribute  the  impetus  that  I  acquired.  My 
whole  object  in  life  then  was  to  show  him  my  worth  and 
to  prove  it.  I  thought  and  dreamed  of  nothing  else  but 
the  steel  works.  In  consequence,  I  became  his  assistant. 
I  attribute  my  first  great  success  to  hard  and  active  work. 
I  found  that  those  who  were  quickest  were  those  to  be 
promoted. 


142  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

HE    MASTERED    METALLURGY,  THE    GLORY  OF    CHEMISTRY. 

"  At  that  time  science  began  to  play  an  important  part 
in  the  manufacture  of  steel.  My  salary,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  warranted  me  in  marrying,  so  I  had  a  home 
of  my  own ;  I  believe  in  early  marriages,  as  a  rule.  In 
my  own  house  I  rigged  up  a  laboratory,  and  studied  chem- 
istry in  the  evenings,  determined  that  there  should  be 
nothing  in  the  manufacture  of  steel  that  I  would  not 
know.  Although  I  had  received  no  technical  education, 
I  made  myself  master  of  chemistry,  and  of  the  laboratory, 
which  proved  of  lasting  value." 

The  strength  and  superior  qualities  of  American  armor 
plate  —  the  substantial  strength  of  our  battleships  and 
cruisers  —  are  largely  due  to  Mr.  Schwab,  who  raised 
the  standard  of  armor  ;  and  this  may  be  followed  back  to 
his  first  experiments  in  his  laboratory. 

"  The  point  I  wish  to  make,"  continued  he,  "  is  that 
my  experimental  work  was  not  in  the  line  of  my  duty, 
but  it  gave  me  greater  knowledge.  Achievement  is 
possible  to  a  man  who  does  something  else  besides  his 
mere  duty  that  attracts  the  attention  of  his  superiors  to 
him,  as  one  who  is  equipping  himself  for  advancement- 
An  employer  picks  out  his  assistants  from  the  lest  in- 
formed, most  competent,  and  conscientious." 

ONWARD    EVER,    ALWAYS    UPWARD. 

At  this  point  I  asked  if  Mr.  Carnegie  had  not  proved 
a  factor  in  his  encouragement. 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  Mr.  Carnegie  and  others  took  a  gen- 
eral interest  in  me,  which  I  tried  to  foster  by  doing  my 
level  best.  A  man  who  is  not  susceptible  to  encourage- 
ment will  not  succeed.  I  never  encourage  those  who  are 
willing  to  continue  in  the  even  tenor  of  their  ways. 


CHARLES  M.    SCHWAB.  143 

They  are  not  extraordinary  individuals.  They  attract  no 
attention,  are  overlooked,  or  drop  out.  You  see  the 
point.  A  man  must  be  wide  awake  and  up  to  date.  His 
future  mostly  depends  upon  himself." 

"  Do  you  think  the  chances  for  a  young  man  to-day 
are  as  great  as  they  were  when  you  began  ?  " 

"  There  were  never  before  so  many  opportunities  for  the, 
right  kind  of  young  men.  For  example,  one  of  my  head 
men  told  me  that  he  had  been  three  weeks  trying  to  find 
a  man  competent  to  take  charge  of  an  important  position, 
and  when  I  last  saw  him  he  had  not  succeeded.  Em- 
ployers everywhere  are  on  the  lookout  for  competent, 
pushing,  '  get  there '  men,  and  when  they  are  found  they 
do  not  easily  part  with  them." 

It  has  been  shown  how  Mr.  Schwab  tried  to  make  him- 
self indispensable.  One  day,  after  he  had  risen  to  be 
general  manager  of  the  Carnegie  Steel  Company,  a  gen- 
tleman from  England  walked  into  the  office,  and  offered 
him  a  larger  salary  than  the  President  of  the  United 
States  receives,  if  he  would  take  charge  of  his  English 
works.  Mr.  Schwab  refused,  but  did  not  tell  Mr.  Car- 
negie. Some  months  afterwards  Mr.  Carnegie  heard  of 
it,  and  took  pains  to  say  to  Mr.  Schwab  that  he  "  must 
not  think  of  it." 

"  It  is  not  what  I  want,"  he  replied. 

"  What  is  it  you  do  want  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Carnegie. 

"  To  be  a  partner  in  your  company,"  said  Mr.  Schwab. 

He  became  one,  and  in  1896  was  elected  president. 

"  Here  is  another  point,"  he  continued  ;  "first  be  master 
of  what  you  undertake,  and  the  money  will  follow" 

HE    WHO    SEEKS    THE    TOP    MUST    START     AT     THE    BOTTOM. 

"  But  you  believe  in  a  college  education  ?  "  I  ventured. 
"  Not  for  a  business  man.     I  have  noted  how  few  sue- 


144  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

cessful  business  men  have  received  a  college  education. 
In  the  first  place  a  man,  to  understand  his  business,  must 
start  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder  and  work  himself  up. 
To  do  so,  he  must  commence  when  young,  when  he  learns 
quickly  and  may  be  led.  A  college  man  seldom  rivets  his 
whole  attention  on  his  work.  He  is  in  dreamland  most 
of  the  time,  gives  his  evenings  to  society,  and  tries  to 
combine  work  and  pleasure.  He  is  not  wrapped  up  in 
his  work.  It  is  remarkable  how  few  in  our  works  who 
hold  responsible  positions  have  even  received  technical 
education.  One  day  Mr.  Wittkenstein,  the  Carnegie  of 
Austria,  attended  my  Saturday  meeting.  Glancing  over 
those  present,  he  asked :  <  How  many  of  these  gentlemen, 
Mr.  Schwab,  received  a  technical  education  ?  '  That  had 
never  occurred  to  me  before,  and,  on  inquiry,  it  was  found 
that  only  three  of  those  present  had.  The  rest  had  risen 
from  the  ranks,  and  solely  on  their  merits.  Nothing  else 
cuts  any  figure  with  us.  It  is  a  great  mistake  to  think 
that  young  men  are  .not  wanted  for  responsible  positions. 
Any  prejudice  that  existed  long  since  died. 

"  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  I  am  not  a  believer  in  edu- 
cation," continued  Mr.  Schwab.  "  I  am  a  great  believer 
in  self-education  after  graduation  from  a  high  grade  of 
public  school.  A  man,  to  be  successful  even  as  a  special- 
ist, should  have  a  good  general  knowledge,  and,  therefore, 
ought  to  read  and  study  much.  A  well-informed  man  is 
always  the  brighter  for  it.  All  through  my  life  I  have 
read  and  studied." 


THE  STEEL   WORKS.  145 


PART  II. 
THE  WORKS,  AND  THE  SUPERINTENDENTS. 

The  Carnegie  Steel  Works,  when  I  visited  them,  —  vast 
as  they  are,  and  wondrous  in  their  suggestion  of  man's 
mastery  over  the  forces  of  nature,  and  inspiring  in  the 
thought  of  their  usefulness  to  a  whole  cityful  of  people 
and  to  the  armies  and  navies  of  the  nation,  —  did  not 
impress  me  so  much  as  did  the  men  who  have  made  them 
what  they  are.  There  I  found  thirty-two  splendid  me- 
chanics and  business  men,  some  of  them  earning  salaries 
of  $50,000,  $75,000,  and  even  $100,000  a  year,  who  were 
the  working  partners  of  Andrew  Carnegie. 

I  felt  it  a  privilege  to  meet  these  men,  to  study  them 
at  close  range,  and  to  glean  from  each  and  all  the  absorb- 
ing story  of  the  possibilities  of  a  mechanic  on  American 
soil. 

Nearly  every  one  of  these  keen-eyed,  quick-brained, 
hard-muscled  men  had  risen  from  the  ranks.  Mr. 
Schwab,  who  introduced  me,  said  that  some  of  them  be- 
gan as  day  laborers. 

"Our  six  general  superintendents,  in  charge  of  our 
seven  great  works,'7  said  he,  "  earned  their  positions  by 
exceptional  services  tending  toward  greater  perfection  in 
material,  and  increase  of  output.  They  advanced  step  by 
step,  according  to  the  importance  of  their  services.  No 
one  may  rest  on  his  laurels  here  who  hopes  for  future 
advancement.  There  were  thirty-two  members  in  the 
firm,  and  those  superintendents  who  were  partners  owe 
their  partnerships  to  Mr.  Carnegie,  solely  and  entirely  on 
account  of  his  appreciation  of  their  helpfulness  to  him 
in  his  business. 


146  TALKS   WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 


WHAT    COMMON    SCHOOL    COMMON    SENSE    DOES. 

THOMAS  MORRISON,  the  general  superintendent  of  the 
Edgar  Thomson  Works,  at  Braddock,  Pennsylvania,  I 
found  to  be  a  forceful  example  of  the  self-made  man. 
He  was  born  in  Dunfermline,  Scotland,  and  received  a 
common  school  education.  He  served  an  apprenticeship 
as  a  machinist  and  engineer;  attended  evening  school  to 
receive  instruction  in  mechanical  drawing,  and  then, 
wearying  of  the  blacksmith  shop,  sought  larger  opportu- 
nities in  Scotland  and  England.  In  1886  he  came  to 
America  and  started  in  at  the  Homestead  Works  as  a 
machinist.  Through  industry  and  hard  work  he  was 
promoted  to  be  foreman  of  the  machine  shop,  and,  later, 
assistant  master  mechanic.  In  1889  he  was  given 
charge  of  the  armor  plate  department.  Then  in  1891, 
after  Mr.  Carnegie  had  acquired  the  Duquesne  works, 
Morrison  went  there  as  superintendent,  and,  in  1895,  to 
the  Edgar  Thomson  works,  as  general  superintendent. 
These  successive  promotions  he  attributes  entirely  to 
industry  and  hard  work.  He  talked  interestingly,  too, 
to  the  writer,  on  the  plan  and  policy  of  the  works. 

"It  is  one  of  the  duties  of  the  superintendent,"  he 
said,  "to  single  out  likely  men,  and  it  is  policy  for  a 
man  to  do  exceptional  work  and  to  make  himself  known 
and  noticeable  to  his  superiors.  One  of  the  telling 
points  is  loyalty  to  one's  work — to  never  feel  through 
with  an  undertaking  till  one  has  done  his  utmost. 

"  It  is  a  good  way,  that :  to  do  more  than  is  required  of 
you,  to  bring  yourself  forward.  The  able,  industrious, 
and  clear-headed  man  is  always  in  demand ;  and,  as  I 
have  said,  it  is  one  of  the  duties  of  the  superintendent 
to  bring  such  a  man  forward :  we  need  him ;  but  we 
can  only  know  him  by  his  work.  Such  is  the  history  of 


THE  STEEL   WORKS.  147 

our  head  men  in  various  stations  —  they  practically  com- 
pelled recognition.  They  stepped  ahead  of  the  ranks, 
and  became  noticeable  on  account  of  their  work  and 
ability." 

BRIGHT    MEN    ARE    IN    INCREASING    DEMAND. 

"  Have  all  the  good  places  been  taken  —  all  the 
chances  for  young  men  exhausted?"  This  question  I 
asked  of  W.  E.  COREY,  general  superintendent  of  the 
Homestead  works. 

"By  no  means,"  he  cheerily  replied.  u  We  need  good 
men  more  than  ever  before.  It  is  not  always  the  smartest 
man,  however,  who  gets  along  the  best;  it  is  the  man 
with  bulldog  tenacity,  the  man  who  perseveres  and  never 
gives  up,  who  succeeds." 

Mr.  Corey  entered  the  laboratory  of  the  Edgar  Thom- 
son works  when  a  boy  of  only  sixteen  years.  But  he 
left  work  for  a  short  time  to  study  bookkeeping  at  Duff's 
College,  in  Pittsburg.  "  /  studied  chemistry  at  night,  at 
home"  he  said;  which  showed  the  boy's  earnest  desire 
to  acquire  knowledge,  and  to  equip  himself  for  the  seem- 
ingly uncertain  future  opening  before  him. 

"Then  I  entered  the  order  department  of  the  plate 
mill  at  Homestead,  and  subsequently  rose,  by  successive 
stages,  to  my  present  position,  just  as  any  young  man 
may,  if  he  pays  attention  to  business  and  endeavors  to 
make  his  life  a  success.  The  point  which  I  wish  to  em- 
phasize is,  that  to  make  headway  you  must  have  plenty  of 
push  and  energy,  must  alivays  endeavor  to  go  ahead,  must 
not  know  what  the  word  "fa.il  "  means  ;  and  must  not  be 
satisfied  to  merely  do  the  work  laid  out  for  you,  but  do 


148  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 


ABILITY    AND     FIDELITY    PROMOTED    THEM. 

Mr.  Corey's  greatest  triumph  was  his  invention  of  the 
Carnegie  re-forged  armor.  Services  of  like  nature  Mr. 
Carnegie  delighted  in  recognizing  and  encouraging. 

"  And,"  said  Mr.  Corey,  "  there  is  just  as  much  chance 
in  these  works,  to-day,  for  a  young  man  to  make  himself 
valuable  as  there  ever  was  ;  and  just  as  surely  as  he  does 
he  will  be  rewarded." 

JAMES  SCOTT,  general  superintendent  of  the  Lucy 
Furnaces,  is  another  type  of  the  practical  man.  Coming 
to  this  country  from  Dalkeith,  Scotland,  some  twenty- 
seven  years  ago,  he  served  his  apprenticeship  with  his 
father,  who  was  a  blacksmith ;  then  worked  as  a  machin- 
ist in  New  York  for  about  a  year,  then  in  Ohio  with  the 
Port  Washington  Iron  and  Steel  Company,  and,  two 
years  later,  in  1877,  went  to  the  Lucy  Furnaces,  as  a 
machinist  and  engineer,  to  take  charge  of  the  machinery. 
In  nine  years  he  rose  to  be  assistant  superintendent,  and, 
two  years  later,  became  general  superintendent. 

PUSH    AND    ENERGY    ENCOURAGE    THOSE    BELOW. 

"  You  are  unfortunate,"  he  said,  "  if  you  cannot  throw 
your  heart  into  your  work  ;  also  if  you  are  not  appreci- 
ated. Mr.  Carnegie  encouraged  me  by  his  appreciation, 
which  was  a  great  stimulus  to  further  effort.  I  endeavor 
now  to  encourage  my  foremen,  and  to  help  them  to  bet- 
ter their  condition  ;  and,  if  they  show  that  they  are  wor- 
thy men  and  are  likely  to  rise,  they  are  shifted  around 
from  one  position  to  another  to  further  increase  their 
scope  and  knowledge  of  the  business.  All  the  foremen 
in  the  Lucy  Furnaces  have  been  taken  from  the  ranks, 
and  it  is  a  fact  that  our  best  men  are  those  who  came  to 
us  as  boys,  and  have  been  trained  by  us.  The  man  who  is 


THE  STEEL    WORKS.  149 

generally  favored  is  the  pushing,  energetic  one,  he  who 
is  likely  to  set  a  good  example,  which  those  beneath  him 
will  imitate. 

"  To  show  you  the  power  of  example,  I  may  relate  that 
H.  M.  Curry,  who,  when  I  came  to  the  Lucy  Furnaces, 
was  manager,  was  my  inspiration.  Those  were  the  days 
when  the  furnaces  were  almost  in  a  primitive  state,  and 
required  the  greatest  nursing  to  turn  out  one  hundred 
tons  of  pig  iron  a  day.  Often,  when  I  came  to  work  in 
the  morning,  I  passed  Mr.  Curry  going  to  breakfast,  in 
all  probability  not  having  been  in  bed  for  forty-eight 
hours.  That  led  me  to  reflect.  His  skill  and  enthusi- 
astic energy  impressed  me  forcibly,  and  have  remained 
with  me  as  illustrations  of  the  importance  of  man's 
duty." 

EMIL  SWENTSOX,  who  was  a  general  superintendent  of 
the  Keystone  Bridge  Works  when  I  visited  this  estab- 
lishment, was  born  in  Sweden,  and  is  the  only  general 
superintendent  who  received  a  technical  education.  He 
attended  public  school,  and  the  technical  school  at 
Gothenburg ;  then  he  spent  two  years  in  Munich,  and  in 
1878  was  graduated  from  what  is  generally  considered 
the  highest  technical  school  in  the  world,  at  Zurich, 
Switzerland.  Coming  to  America,  he  secured  a  place  as 
a  common  laborer  in  the  Hudson  River  tunnel,  and 
worked  there  awhile,  handling  bricks  and  mortar.  In 
1882  he  went  to  the  South  Pennsylvania  Railroad  as  a 
rodman,  and  rose  to  be  resident  engineer  of  construction. 
Three  years  later  he  went  to  the  Phoenix  Bridge  Com- 
pany as  bridge  draughtsman,  and  in  that  capacity  went 
to  the  Keystone  Bridge  Company,  where  in  1889  he  was 
appointed  engineer  in  charge  of  detailing.  Four  years 
later,  after  the  company  had  been  taken  by  the  Carnegie 
interest,  he  was  made  chief  engineer ;  and  two  years  ago 


150  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

advanced  to  his  present  position.  He,  too,  attributes  his 
promotions  to  his  endeavor  to  always  do  that  which  he  had 
on  hand  to  the  best  of  his  ability  ;  to  always  surpass,  if 
possible,  his  latest  achievement.  After  having  been  en- 
gaged in  bridge  business  for  a  couple  of  months  he  saw 
plainly  his  opportunity.  He  followed  it  intently,  even 
as  now,  believing  that  an  engineer  must  keep  pace  with 
the  times.  His  maxim  is  :  "  Never  permit  yourself  to 
become  a  back  number ;  rather  be  a  little  ahead  of  the 
times." 

FIVE    WISE    MATERNAL    WORDS. 

"  My  old  Scottish  mother,"  said  CAPTAIN  L.  T.  BROWN, 
who  was  at  the  time  of  my  visit  the  general  superintend- 
ent of  the  Union  Lower  Mills,  "  impressed  upon  my 
memory  as  a  child  the  motto,  '  Be  loyal  to  your  employ- 
ers' I  have  never  forgotten  those  rive  words.  I  was 
born  here  in  Pittsburg,  and  received  only  a  public  school 
education.  When  fourteen  years  old  I  went  to  work  for 
the  Schoenberger  Company  as  an  assistant  roller.  But 
the  call  to  arms  stirred  me  and  I  enlisted.  After  the  war 
I  saw  some  Indian  fighting  on  the  plains.  In  1872  I  came 
here  as  manager,  and  have  been  promoted  to  be  general 
superintendent.  May  a  lad  of  to-day  do  the  same  as  I  ? 
Certainly  ;  times  were  never  brighter  for  the  average  mill 
hand.  The  foreign  demand  for  our  superior  materials 
creates  home  competition  in  quality,  and.  puts  a  premium 
on  the  ability  and  service  of  our  mechanics.  I  see  nothing 
but  encouragement  ahead  for  the  young  man  of  to-day  / 
but,  as  usual,  he  must  begin  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder, 
and  depend  mostly  upon  himself  to  rise  to  the  top." 

JOSEPH  E.  SCHWAB,  who  is  C.  M.  Schwab's  brother, 
I  found  to  be  the  general  superintendent  of  the  Duquesne 
works ;  and,  like  his  brother,  he  is  a  self-made  man  of 
great  ability  and  energy. 


THE  STEEL    WORKS.  151 

"I  entered  the  Edgar  Thomson  Steel  Works  when  I 
was  nineteen  years  old/'  he  said,  "  but  previously  I  had 
been  educated  at  St.  Francis  College,  at  Loretto,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  had  also  received  something  of  a  technical 
education.  The  latter  I  thoroughly  believe  in,  if  it  is 
not  too  exhaustive,  and  if  it  is  combined  with  practical 
work.  It  is  far  better  to  have  a  little  technical  educa- 
tion, and  to  gain  the  rest  of  your  knowledge  by  work, 
than  to  receive,  practically  nothing  but  a  scientific  edu- 
cation. My  knowledge  proved  of  great  assistance  to  me 
in  my  position  as  draughtsman  and  in  1872  I  went  to 
the  Homestead  Steel  Works  as  superintendent  of  the 
department  producing  structural  material.  Four  years 
ago  I  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Upper  Union 
Mills,  and  six  months  later  I  became  general  superin- 
tendent of  the  Duquesne  steel  works  and  blast  furnaces. 

"  What  caused  my  rise  ?  Hard  work,  principally. 
Possibly,  also,  a  willingness  to  assume  other  duties,  when- 
ever time  permitted,  was  a  prominent  factor.  Sobriety, 
integrity,  fidelity,  iron  habits  of  industry,  enthusiasm,  and 
alertness  to  opportunity,  —  these  are  the  qualities  that 


XXV. 

THE   GOLDEN   RULE   IN  BUSINESS: 
THE  GOOD  WILL  AND  FELLOWSHIP  OF  EMPLOYEES. 


SAMUEL  JONES,  when  mayor  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  won  for 
himself  a  wide  reputation,  as  a  municipal,  social,  and 
industrial  reformer,  being  known  throughout  the  country 
as  "  Golden  Rule  Jones." 

He  is  president  of  the  Acme  Oil  Company;  an  inventor 
and  manufacturer  of  a  successful  patent  —  the  Acme 
sucker-rod,  an  implement  for  pumping  oil  wells.  He 
has  made  a  fortune  as  a  successful  operator  in  oil,  and 
he  has  done  it  without  influence  or  backing,  by  dint  of 
industry,  honesty,  and  push,  starting  as  a.  poor,  penniless 
boy,  with  only  such  education  as  he  could  acquire  by 
himself. 

BORN    IN    A   HUMBLE    HOME. 

Mr.  Jones  was  born  in  1846,  in  Wales.  Of  this  humble 
home  he  says : 

"  It  could  scarcely  be  dignified  by  the  name  of  cottage, 
for,  as  I  saw  it  a  few  years  ago,  it  seemed  a  little 
barren  hut,  though  still  occupied."  It  is  in  memory  of 
this  modest  birthplace,  over  the  sea,  which  is  known  as 
Tan  y  Craig  (Under  the  Rock) ,  that  Mr.  Jones  has  named 
his  handsome  Toledo  mansion  Tan  y  Oderwen  (Under  the 
Oak). 

152 


THE  GOLDEN  RULE.  153 

Perhaps  the  following  autobiographical  statement  will 
serve  better  than  anything  I  could  write  to  present  his 
life  story : 

"  I  came  with  my  parents  to  America  when  I  was 
three  years  old,  and  I  have  often  heard  them  tell  of  the 
tedious  voyage  of  thirty  days  in  an  emigrant  sailing  ship, 
and  the  subsequent  voyage  over  the  Erie  Canal  to  central 
New  York,  where  they  settled  in  Lewis  County.  My 
parents  were  very  poor  and  very  pious.  The  poverty 
in  our  family  was  so  stringent  that  it  was  necessary  for 
me  to  go  out  and  work,  and  I  bear  upon  my  body,  to-day, 
the  marks  of  the  injustice  and  wrong  of  child  labor. 

"  At  the  age  of  eighteen  I  heard  of  the  opportunities 
in  the  oil  regions  in  Pennsylvania,  and  at  once  made  my 
way  to  Titusville.  I  landed  there  with  fifteen  cents  in 
my  pocket,  and  without  an  acquaintance  in  the  State. 
For  three  days  I  went  through  one  of  the  most  trying 
experiences  of  any  young  man's  life  —  living  without 
money  and  seeking  work  among  strangers. 

THE   LAND    OF    OPPORTUNITIES. 

"  But  I  was  on  the  right  track ;  I  was  in  a  land  of 
opportunities.  I  soon  found  work  and  a  business  in 
producing  crude  petroleum. 

"  Since  1870  I  have  been  more  or  less  of  an  oil  pro- 
ducer. In  1866  I  came  to  the  Ohio  oil  fields,  producing 
oil  at  Lima.  Since  that  time  I  have  followed  it  in  Ohio 
and  Indiana,  and  to  some  extent  in  Pennyslvania  and 
West  Virginia.  In  1893  I  invented  improved  appliances 
for  producing  oil,  and,  finding  manufacturers  unwilling 
to  make  the  articles,  fearing  there  would  be  no  profit,  I 
undertook  their  manufacture. 

"  This  brought  me  in  contact  with  labor  conditions  in 
a  city  for  the  first  time  in  my  life.  As  a  rule,  labor  in 


154  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

the  oil  fields  had  enjoyed  large  wages  compared  with 
similar  classes  outside. 

A    FRACTION    OF    A    DOLLAR. 

"  I  found  men  working  in  Toledo  for  a  fraction  of  a 
dollar  a  day.  I  began  to  wonder  how  it  was  possible  for 
men  to  live  on  such  a  small  sum  of  money  in  a  way  be- 
coming to  the  citizens  of  a  free  republic.  I  studied 
social  conditions,  and  these  led  me  to  feel  very  keenly 
the  degradation  of  my  fellow-men,  and  I  at  once  declared 
that  the  '  going  wages  ?  rule  should  not  govern  in  the 
Acme  Sucker-Rod  Company,  which  is  the  firm  name  of 
our  business.  I  said  that  the  rule  that  every  man  is 
entitled  to  such  a  share  of  the  product  of  his  toil  as  will 
enable  him  to  live  decently,  and  in  such  a  way  that  he 
and  his  children  may  be  fitted  to  be  citizens  of  the  free 
republic,  should  be  the  rule  governing  the  wages  of  our 
establishment. 

"  To  break  down  the  feeling  of  social  inequality,  we 
began  to  '  get  together '  —  that  is,  we  had  little  excur- 
sions down  the  bay.  We  invited  our  workmen  and  their 
families,  and  also  some  other  people  who  live  in  big 
houses  and  do  not  work  with  their  hands.  We  sought  to 
mix  them,  to  let  them  understand  that  we  were  all  people, 
—  just  people,  you  know. 

GOOD    WILL    AND    FELLOWSHIP    IN    BUSINESS. 

"  As  our  business  increased  we  took  in  new  men. 
We  made  no  special  effort  to  select.  We  asked  no  ques- 
tions as  to  their  habits,  their  morals,  their  religion,  or 
their  irreligion.  We  were  ignoring  the  sacred  rule  of 
business,  getting  along  in  a  sort  of  free  and  easy  way, 
occasionally  giving  the  boys  a  word  of  caution  printed 
on  their  pay  envelopes,  or  a  little  letter  expressing  good 


THE  GOLDEN  RULE.  155 

will  and  fellowship.  Then  we  came  to  feel  the  need  of 
a  rule  to  govern  the  place.  We  thought,  to  that  extent, 
we  ought  to  be  like  other  people.  So  we  had  the  follow- 
ing printed  on  a  piece  of  tin,  and  nailed  to  the  wall.  It 's 
there  to-day : 

"  '  THE  RULE  GOVERNING  THIS  FACTORY  :  Therefore, 
ivhatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  unto  you  do  ye 
even  so  unto  them.' 

"In  1895,  at  Christmas  time,  we  made  a  little  cash 
dividend,  accompanying  it  with  such  a  letter  as  we 
believed  would  be  helpful.  In  1896  we  repeated  the 
dividend  and  the  letter.  In  1897  and  1898  we  did  the 
same." 

In  response  to  the  query  as  to  how  he  would  regulate 
property  interests,  Mayor  Jones  said : 

"  If  you  will  read  the  Fourth  of  Acts  and  see  how 
property  was  regarded  and  treated  by  the  early  Chris- 
tians you  will  read  what  I  believe  to  be  the  one  scien- 
tific way  in  which  property  can  be  handled  for  the  good 
of  all.  The  manifest  destiny  of  the  world  is  to  realize 
brotherhood.  We  are  brothers,  not  competitors. 

"  By  far  the  best  thing  the  Acme  Sucker-Rod  Company 
has  done  has  been  to  open  the  adjoining  corner  lot  as  a 
Golden  Rule  park  and  playground.  Here  is  a  spot  of 
God's  green  earth  in  the  heart  of  the  industrial  part  of 
our  city,  that  is  as  free  to  the  people  as  when  the  red 
Indian  trod  there.  And  I  am  sure  that  the  healthful 
play  of  the  children,  and  the  delightful  studies  of  the 
older  ones  as  we  discuss  the  questions  of  brotherhood, 
golden  rule,  and  right  relations  generally,  in  our  Sunday 
afternoon  meetings,  will  do  more  to  bring  about  the  era 
of  peace  and  good  will  than  all  else  that  has  been  done 
there.  And  now  we  have  added  Golden  Rule  Hall,  where 
we  may  continue  these  studies. 


156  TALKS   WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 


TRYING  TO  LEARN  HOW  TO  HELP  EACH  OTHER. 

"  How  delightful  are  the  hours  which  we  pass  to- 
gether in  the  study  of  the  question  of  right  social  rela- 
tions! How  much  like  men  it  makes  us  feel  to  think 
that  we  are  spending  a  part  of  our  time  in  trying  to  learn 
how  we  can  help  each  other ;  that  is,  help  all  the  people, 
instead  of  devoting  it  all  to  the  piggish  business  of  help- 
ing ourselves. 

"  As  an  outgrowth  of  that  spirit,  during  the  past  year, 
we  have  :  our  Cooperative  Insurance,  the  Cooperative 
Oil  Company,  the  Tuesday  Night  Social  Study  Club, 
and  the  Equality  Club. 

"  Our  experience  during  these  years  has  been  progres- 
sive, and,  I  believe,  profitable,  in  a  moral  as  well  as  a 
material  way.  I  have  learned  much  of  my  relation  to 
my  fellow  men  during  that  time.  I  have  learned  that 
we  are  all  dependent  on  each  other. 

"  In  introducing  the  shorter  workday  and  trying  to 
establish  living  wages,  we  have  tried  to  acknowledge,  in 
some  measure,  the  relation  of  brotherhood  that  exists 
between  us  and  all  other  men;  for  this  bond  is  only 
limited  by  the  confines  of  the  globe  itself." 

LOVED    BY    HIS    EMPLOYEES. 

Upon  going  to  his  factory  one  morning,  during  a  hard 
winter,  Mr.  Jones  found  that  some  one  in  the  ofiice  had 
affixed  a  sign  to  the  outside  door,  "  No  help  wanted." 
This  he  ordered  taken  away,  as  being  contrary  to  the 
spirit  of  the  institution. 

"  Men  who  apply  for  work  should  have  at  least  a 
decent  reception,"  he  said ;  "  maybe  we  can  help  them 
by  kind  words,  even  if  we  have  no  work  for  them." 

When  there  was  a  temporary  depression  in  the  oil 


THE  GOLDEN  RULE.  157 

business  Mr.  Jones  issued  an  order  that  his  work  people 
should  not  suffer : 

"Keep  a  little  flour  in  the  barrel,  and  see  that  they 
have  coal  enough  to  keep  them  warm." 

Eeturning  from  a  recent  trip  to  Europe,  the  warmest 
welcome  was  that  given  by  a  crowd  of  his  employees, 
who  gathered  at  the  Toledo  depot  to  greet  him  as  the 
train  rolled  in. 

A   WRONG   CONCEPTION    OF   SUCCESS. 

"  The  trouble  with  a  great  many  young  men,"  said 
Mr.  Jones  recently,  "is  that  they  have  a  wrong  con- 
ception of  success.  Large  numbers  imagine  it  lies  in 
mere  money-making.  Yet  the  average  millionaire  is  not 
a  happy  or  even  a  contented  man.  He  has  been  so  en- 
grossed from  his  youth  in  piling  up  dollars  that  he  has 
had  no  time  for  the  cultivation  of  the  higher  qualities  of 
his  mind  and  heart,  in  the  exercise  of  which  lies  the  only 
true  happiness.  Emerson  said :  l  Happiness  lies  only  in 
the  triumph  of  principle.' 

"  If  a  business  man  would  be  truly  successful  he  must 
be  careful  to  keep  money  his  servant,  and  not  let  it 
become  his  master.  Many  rich  men  are  the  slaves  of 
their  own  wealth  ;  and  their  sons,  growing  up  without 
a  purpose  in  life,  never  know  what  real  living  is.  To 
live  we  must  work,  and  one  must  work  to  live.  It  is  not 
birth,  nor  money,  nor  a  college  education  that  makes  a 
man  ;  it  is  work. 

"  I  can  never  express  too  earnestly  my  thankfulness 
that  I  learned  from  my  good  mother  to  set  up  usefulness 
as  my  standard  of  success  —  usefulness  to  others  as  well 
as  to  myself." 


XXVI. 

FKOM  MAINE  TO  MICHIGAN. 


AN  interview  with  Hon.  Hazen  S.  Pingree,  Governor  of 
Michigan,  was  no  easy  thing  to  obtain.  "  Approachable  ?  " 
Very.  I  found  him  to  be  a  great  favorite  with  news- 
paper men,  but  the  most-sought-after  man  in  Michigan. 
When  he  arrived  at  the  simply  furnished  room  that 
served  as  his  official  headquarters  in  Detroit,  it  was  to 
find  it  bordered  with  a  human  wainscoting,  each  anxious 
member  of  which  was  waiting  patiently,  or  otherwise,  to 
ask  some  favor  of  the  chief  executive.  As  he  entered, 
the  room  suddenly  became  absolutely  quiet;  for  there 
was  something  about  the  governor's  powerful  personality 
that  commanded  attention.  But  soon  each  want,  no 
matter  how  small,  was  attended  to  in  his  kindly  but 
straightforward  way. 

An  interesting  medley  of  petitioners  was  present  on 
the  day  of  this  interview.  The  first  was  a  widowed 
mother,  requesting  a  favor  for  her  son,  —  a  wreck  of  the 
Spanish-American  war. 

"  I  '11  do  the  best  I  can  for  you,"  said  the  governor, 
heartily,  as  she  left  the  room,  —  and  every  one  knew 
what  that  meant. 

Next  came  a  gayly-dressed  young  woman,  with  a  bill, 
which  she  asked  the  governor  to  please  push  through  the 
Legislature.  She  was  patiently  referred  to  the  represent- 

158 


HAZEN    S.    PINGREE. 


HAZEN  S.    P1NGREE.  159 

ative  from  her  district.  Then  a  soldier  stood  before 
him  with  a  transportation  snarl  to  untangle;  a  book 
agent;  a  broadcloth-coated  dandy  and  a  street  laborer, 
each  seeking  help  ;  and  then  a  gaunt,  ill-clad  old  woman, 
who,  in  broken  English,  with  harrowing  tears  and  ges- 
tures of  despair,  laid  her  humble  burdens  in  supplication 
before  him.  It  was  a  touching  picture. 

Hers  was  not  a  case  to  lay  before  the  governor  of  the 
State,  but  she  will  never  know  it,  poor  woman;  for  the 
generous  hand  of  the  great-hearted  man  slid  quickly 
down  to  the  nest  of  the  golden  eagle  that  sent  her  grate- 
fully away. 

"  You  are  not  a  native  of  the  State  you  govern,"  said 
I,  as  the  governor  leisurely  seated  himself  for  the  inter- 
view. 

"  No ;  I  was  born  in  Denmark,  Me.  My  father  owned 
a  forty-acre  farm,  and  I  was  brought  up  there  until 
I  was  about  seventeen  years  old." 

"And  you  did  —  " 

"  Just  what  any  one  would  do  on  a  small  farm ;  worked 
in  summer  and  went  to  school  in  the  winter.  Then  I 
started  out  to  make  my  own  way  in  the  world,  and  the 
first  work  I  found  was  in  a  cotton  mill  at  Saco,  Me. 
In  1860  I  went  to  Hopkinton,  Mass.,  and  learned  the 
trade  of  a  cutter  in  a  shoe  factory.  Soon  after  that  the 
war  broke  out." 

"  And  you  enlisted  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have  two  honorable  discharges  as  a  private. 
I  value  them  more  than  my  position  as  governor." 

"  How  long  were  you  in  the  war  ?  " 

"From  1862  until  its  close.  I  first  enlisted  in 
Company  F,  First  Massachusetts  Heavy  Artillery,  and, 
with  that  regiment,  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Bull 
Run,,  Fredericksburg  Road,  Harris  Farm,  Cold  Har- 


160  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

bor,  Spottsylvania  Court-House,  North  Anne,  and  South 
Anne." 

"Then  you  know  something  of  the  horrors  of  war, 
from  your  own  experience  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  that  is  the  reason  I  ain  an  advocate  of  the  upi- 
versal  peace  project." 

"  You  believe  in  that  ?  " 

"  Decidedly ;  and  moreover,  I  believe  that  ten  years 
from  now  every  man  who  calls  himself  a  Christian  will 
be  ready  to  plead  for  peace." 

"  Let  us  return  to  your  experience  in  the  war.  Were 
you  ever  a  prisoner  ?  " 

"  Several  others  and  myself  were  captured  on  May  25, 
1864,  by  a  squad  of  Mosby's  men.  We  were  confined 
five  months  at  Andersonville ;  and  from  there  were 
taken  to  Salisbury  prison  in  North  Carolina,  then  to 
Millen,  Ga.,  where  we  were  exchanged  in  November, 
1864.  I  rejoined  my  regiment  in  front  of  Petersburg 
and  was  in  the  expedition  to  Weldon  Railroad,  the  bat- 
tles of  Boynton  Road,  Petersburg,  Sailors'  Creek,  Farns- 
ville,  and  Appomattox." 

"  And  after  the  war  ?  " 

"I  came  to  Detroit  and  obtained  employment  in  a 
shoe  factory.  Soon  after  that  my  partner  and  myself 
started  one  of  our  own.  He  had  a  little  less  than  a 
thousand  dollars,  and  I  had  four  hundred  and  sixty 
dollars  —  left  from  my  army  pay." 

"  That  seemed  a  large  sum,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"Yes,  and  I  thought  if  I  could  ever  get  to  making 
fifty  pairs  of  shoes  a  day  I  should  be  perfectly  happy." 

The  number  is  amusingly  small,  when  it  is  remembered 
that  this  factory,  the  embryo  of  which  he  spoke,  had 
grown  up  under  the  governor's  personal  supervision, 
until  it  became  one  of  the  largest  in  the  United  States. 


HAZEN  S.   PING  REE.  161 

"But  tell  me,  governor,  when  you  were  starting  out 
in  life,  did  you  ever  look  forward  to  the  career  you  have 
carved  out  for  yourself  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  he,  with  the  promptness  that  characterized 
all  of  his  speech,  "  I  never  had  anything  mapped  out  in 
my  life.  I  did  whatever  there  happened  to  be  for  me  to 
do,  and  let  the  result  take  care  of  itself." 

"  Is  it  the  same  with  your  political  success,  or  is  that 
the  outgrowth  of  youthful  ambition  ?  " 

HOW    HE    BECAME    MAYOR    OF    DETROIT. 

"No,  I  was  pushed  into  that  by  accident.  I  had 
never  been  in  the  common  council  chamber  before  I 
was  elected  mayor  of  Detroit.  The  thing  that  caught 
me  was  that  my  friends  began  to  say  that  I  was  afraid 
of  the  position ;  so  of  course  I  had  to  accept  the  nomi- 
nation to  prove  that  I  was  n't." 

This  was  clever  of  his  friends.  The  fact  is  that  at 
that  time  the  city  needed  the  governor's  brains  to  man- 
age its  affairs.  He  was  elected  mayor  of  Detroit  four 
consecutive  terms,  and  was  in  his  eighth  year  as  mayor 
when  he  resigned.  Even  his  most  earnest  political  op- 
ponents admit  that  he  was  the  best  mayor  the  city  ever 
had. 

"  But  during  the  formative  years  of  your  career,  did 
you  ever  worry  over  the  possibility  of  failure  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  governor  serenely,  "  I  never  did,  and 
don't  now.  I, was  never  given  to  worrying." 

In  this,  as  other  ways,  the  governor  was  remarkable. 
During  the  stormiest  of  political  times  he  was  never  in 
the  least  disturbed  when  he  reached  home,  to  sleep  as 
peacefully  as  a  child. 

"  What  would  you  suggest,  governor,  as  the  best  route 
by  which  the  young  man  of  to-day  may  obtain  success  ?  " 


162  TALKS   WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

"  He  can  do  one  of  two  things  :  go  to  work  for  some- 
body else,  or,  if  he  cannot  stand  that,  he  can  buy  a 
small  farm." 

"Then  you  think  there  is  not  the  chance  in  the  United 
States  now  that  there  was  thirty  years  ago  ?  " 

"  There  is  n't  a  doubt  about  it.  The  young  men  of  to- 
day are  to  be  pitied  —  there  is  n't  anything  for  them  to 
do.  The  subject  is  a  serious  one,"  said  the  governor, 
speaking  rapidly.  "  Why,  if  I  had  nothing,  I  would  n't 
know  how  to  advise  my  own  son  to  start.  You  know  I 
don't  claim  to  know  much,  but  I  do  understand  a  little 
about  the  shoe  business,  and  I  can  tell  you  honestly  that 
with  the  knowledge  I  have  gained  in  many  years  of  ex- 
perience, and  with  the  influence  of  my  friends,  I  could 
not  start  in  the  shoe  business  to-day  with  the  chance  of 
success  that  I  had  then." 

"  And  the  causes  of  this  ?  " 

"  Are  trusts  and  monopolies." 

"And  the  result?" 

A    GREAT  CHANGE   PROPHESIED. 

"  There  will  be  a  great  change  in  this  country  before 
many  years.  Free  schools  have  so  educated  the  people 
that  they  will  not  submit  to  this  injustice  forever,  even 
though  it  is  powerfully  organized  against  them." 

"  But  how  will  this  change  be  effected  ?  " 

"Through  the  splitting  up  of  political  parties  —  but 
it  is  sure  to  come." 

"Recognizing  the  conditions  that  the  young  man  of 
to-day  has  to  contend  with,  what  guide-posts  would  you 
point  out  to  him  ?  " 

"In  the  first  place  I  would  advise  every  young  man  to 
be  honest  and  outspoken  at  all  times.  What  people 
want  is  open,  frank  talk.  There  is  too  much  catering 


EAZEN  S.   PINGREE.  163 

and  palavering  and  round-about  talking  nowadays.  It 
is  a  great  mistake.  Then,  of  course,  in  order  to  accom- 
plish anything,  the  young  man  must  have  plenty  of  en- 
ergy and  perseverance." 

By  inheritance  Governor  Pingree  was  a  patriot  and 
fighter.  In  his  possession  were  three  historic  muskets, 
one  of  which  was  used  by  his  great-grandfather  in  the 
Revolutionary  war ;  another  by  his  grandfather  in  the 
War  of  1812,  and  one  by  himself  in  the  Civil  war.  His 
first  American  forefather  was  Moses  Pingree,  who  emi- 
grated to  this  country  in  1640.  Many  of  his  descendants 
have  figured  with  distinction  in  American  history,  among 
them  being  Samuel  Everett  Pingree,  governor  of  Ver- 
mont from  1884  to  1886. 

Governor  Pingree  was  a  strikingly  interesting  example 
of  self-earned  success.  His  indomitable  will,  tireless 
energy,  and  unyielding  perseverance  were  the  machinery 
with  which  he  manufactured  the  fabric  of  his  career. 
But  the  pattern  was  stamped  by  his  own  individuality, 
and  was  like  no  other  ever  seen,  —  it  was  sui  generis. 

On  the  battlefield  of  public  life  Governor  Pingree  was  a 
general  who  said,  "  Come  on ! "  not  "  Go  on  ! "  He  acted 
with  the  bold,  unfettered  authority  that  springs  from  an 
honest  belief  in  the  justice  of  his  opinions,  and  never 
put  his  plans  out  of  focus  by  shifting  his  ground. 
When  once  resolved  he  was  as  immovable  as  a  fixed  star. 
He  was  absolutely  fearless,  because  he  was  absolutely 
honest,  and  was  not  afraid  to  fight,  single-handed,  the 
greatest  financial  power  the  world  has  ever  known.  He 
was  a  champion  of  the  people  and  a  believer  in  them. 

HE    WAS    NOT    A    DEMAGOGUE. 

"But  they  call  you  a  demagogue.  How  does  that 
accusation  affect  you  ?  " 


164  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

The  governor  smiled,  as  if  lie  considered  it  a  joke. 

"Well,  that  amuses  me,"  said  he.  "They  don't  do 
that  around  here  any  more.  They  've  worn  it  out,  I 
guess.  No,  it  does  n't  disturb  me  a  particle.  I  always 
go  on  the  principle  that  lies  never  hurt  anybody." 

Governor  Pingree  was  a  man  of  powerful  physique  and 
dignity  of  bearing.  But  he  was  delightfully  oblivious  to 
his  own  importance,  and  was  entirely  devoid  of  ostenta- 
tion in  everything  that  he  did  or  said.  His  disposition 
was  buoyant,  his  manner  that  of  frank  simplicity,  and  he 
was  prodigal  in  his  generosity  and  sympathy  for  those  in 
need.  In  his  private  business  the  welfare  of  his  em- 
ployees was  always  balanced  in  the  scale  with  his  own. 

In  the  camps  of  the  Spanish  war  he  was  known  as 
"Father  Pingree,"  and  when  the  boys  returned  to  De- 
troit he  was  the  first  to  greet  them.  But  no  one  ever 
saw  him  in  an  open  carriage  behind  the  band ;  he  was 
always  away  off  in  a  corner  of  the  station,  where  the 
ambulances  were  waiting,  giving  a  word  of  encourage- 
ment to  this  poor  fellow,  and  patting  that  one  on  the 
back.  He  worked  for  forty  hours  at  a  time,  without  a 
thought  of  sleep,  to  keep  up  a  cheerful  welcome,  though 
many  a  time  he  was  seen  to  turn  away  to  brush  the  tears 
from  his  eyes. 

The  home  life  of  Governor  Pingree  was  as  beautiful  as 
his  life  in  public  was  successful.  His  residence,  a  three- 
story  gray  stone  house,  was  a  model  of  quiet  elegance  and 
refinement,  and  there  his  greatest  happiness  was  found. 

When  the  governor  died  in  London,  Michigan  arose 
as  one  man  to  honor  his  memory,  and  the  workingmen 
mourned  as  having  lost  a  friend. 


XXVII. 

THE  GENEROUS   TREATMENT    OF    WORKMEN 
-IT   PAYS: 

A  PRACTICAL  DEMONSTRATION. 


"  HARD  work  and  thoughtful  consideration  of  the  sug- 
gestions of  others/7  was  the  answer  of  one  of  the  most 
successful  manufacturers  of  the  country,  to  a  request  for 
the  secret  of  his  success  and  the  success  of  his  factory, 
often  called  "the  model  factory  of  the  world."  The 
speaker  was  John  H.  Patterson,  the  young,  energetic,  and 
enthusiastic  president  of  the  National  Cash  Register 
Company,  of  Dayton,  Ohio.  "  My  brother  and  I  never 
knew  anything  but  steady,  honest  work  in  the  old  days 
when  the  place  where  this  factory  stands  was  only  a 
cornfield.  Hence,  when  it  came  to  the  pull  for  a  place  in 
the  business  world  we  were  prepared  by  our  training." 

Mr.  Patterson  was  educated  at  Miami  University  and 
Dartmouth.  With  no  special  experience  in  business,  he 
became  clerk  in  a  canal  office.  On  one  occasion  he 
made  a  suggestion  to  his  employer  regarding  the  improve- 
ment of  certain  methods,  and  was  plainly  told  to  mind 
his  own  business.  The  sting  of  the  reproof  led  the 
young  clerk  to  determine  that,  if  he  ever  became  an 
employer  he  would  encourage  suggestions  from  his  em- 
ployees in  every  way  possible. 

165 


166  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

Mr.  Patterson,  by  frugality  and  industry,  gradually 
saved  money  and  pushed  ahead  until  he  became  manager 
of  a  coal  mine.  He  noticed  that  the  income  from  the 
stores  with  which  the  miners  had  their  dealings  was  not 
proportionate  to  the  business.  He  heard  of  the  cash 
register,  then  recently  invented,  and  promptly  telegraphed 
for  two  of  them.  With  his  brother,  who  was  with  him 
in  the  coal-mine  enterprise,  he  became  interested  in  the 
cash  register,  and  bought  the  patent. 

DIFFICULTIES    MET    AND    MASTERED. 

Then  the  Pattersons  commenced  to  manufacture  the 
cash  register.  They  were  not,  at  first,  successful.  One 
of  the  stockholders  sold  to  Mr.  Patterson  and  his  brother 
a  considerable  amount  of  the  stock,  and  the  next  day 
refused  $2,000  offered  by  the  buyers  to  cancel  the  sale. 
When  the  early  difficulties  had  been  overcome  the  busi- 
ness grew  so  rapidly  that,  by  1888,  a  large  building  was 
necessary.  It  was  determined  to  build  a  new  factory  in 
one  of  the  southern  suburbs  of  Dayton.  The  building 
was  like  thousands  of  others  devoted  to  mechanical  pur- 
poses, and  the  system  was  that  usual  in  factories  intended 
wholly  to  obtain  the  greatest  product  with  the  least  ex- 
penditure of  money,  and  with  little  thought  for  the 
comfort  of  the  employees.  The  greatest  difficulties 
which  the  Pattersons  had  to  contend  with,  at  this  time, 
were  a  lack  of  sympathy  among  their  wage-earners,  and 
the  inability  to  get  thoroughly  skilled  workmen.  In 
1894,  after  ten  years  of  effort,  with  a  market  fairly  open 
before  them,  and  success  ahead  if  the  machine  could  be 
made  to  work  perfectly,  they  were  confronted  by  the 
complete  failure  of  a  new  invention,  and  the  return  from 
England  of  a  carload  of  broken  machines,  instead  of  the 
draft  for  $30,000  which  had  been  expected. 


JOHN  H.   PATTERSON.  167 

Nothing  daunted,  and  determined  to  learn  the  causes 
of  the  difficulties  in  the  works,  the  president  and  secre- 
tary moved  their  desks  into  the  factory.  Observation 
convinced  them  that  the  best  way  to  obtain  success  was 
to  revolutionize  the  usual  business  methods,  and  to  adopt 
a  system  which  was,  in  many  respects,  entirely  different 
from  that  in  other  places. 

Recalling  his  own  experience  as  a  clerk,  the  president 
resolved  that  the  officers  and  working  force  should  be 
on  the  best  of  terms ;  that  the  assistance  of  every  em- 
ployee, from  the  lowest  to  the  highest,  should  be  de- 
served, if  not  won,  by  kindness  ;  that  more  money  could 
be  made  by  giving  careful  thought  to  the  condition  of 
the  workers,  enabling  them  to  labor  under  the  most 
favorable  circumstances,  and  thus  increasing  their  out- 
put while  decreasing  the  cost ;  and  that  a  proper  division 
of  responsibility,  as  well  as  of  labor,  would  release  the 
heads  of  the  company  so  that  they  could  give  time  and 
thought  to  expansion  and  questions  of  business  policy. 

Thus  was  begun  in  1894  a  new  departure  in  modern 
manufacturing  methods,  and  the  organization  of  a  sys- 
tem which  has  made  the  name  of  Patterson,  and  the  fame 
of  the  company  and  of  its  factory,  known  everywhere. 
The  individuality  of  the  concern,  as  much  as  the  excel- 
lence of  its  product,  has  given  the  National  Cash  Register 
Company  its  world-wide  reputation.  Having  determined 
upon  a  revolution  in  their  system,  the  president  and  his 
associates  brought  to  bear  all  their  former  training  and 
experience,  and  all  that  could  be  learned  from  the  expe- 
rience of  others.  President  Patterson  would  have  been 
a  successful  schoolmaster,  had  he  chosen  teaching  for  his 
profession,  or  a  great  general,  had  he  preferred  to  be  a 
soldier,  for  his  factory  plans  show  an  intuitive  apprecia- 
tion of  the  best  in  education^  and  of  the  strategic  value 


168  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

of  a  thorough  organization.  But  it  is  in  suggesting  new 
ideas  in  business,  in  looking  far  ahead  for  the  best  meth- 
ods of  presenting  his  work  and  winning  men,  and  in 
surrounding  himself  with  strong  men  for  special  work, 
that  Mr.  Patterson,  with  his  brother's  cooperation,  has 
shown  his  power. 

A   LIBERAL    POLICY   BRINGS    A    GOLDEN    REWARE. 

The  change  determined  upon  resulted  first,  in  the  sub- 
stitution of  the  committee  system  for  the  superintendent 
and  manager,  the  members  of  the  committees  being 
chosen  from  the  best  in  the  ranks ;  secondly,  in  encour- 
aging assistance  from  all  classes,  by  offering  prizes  for 
the  best  suggestions  regarding  every  feature  of  every 
department  of  the  business ;  thirdly,  in  systematizing 
plans  for  training  and  educating  the  employees,  in  order 
that  the  highest  intelligence  might  be  developed  among 
the  workmen  and  applied  to  the  manufacture  of  the  prod- 
uct ;  fourthly,  in  providing  for  the  physical  comfort  and 
mental  and  moral  training  of  all  employees  at  work  and 
in  their  homes. 

To  make  clear  these  objects,  as  well  as  to  win  the 
intelligent  cooperation  of  all  the  workmen,  frequent 
meetings  of  all  departments  were  planned  where  there 
could  be  an  exchange  of  opinion  and  presentation  of 
complaints,  with  both  sides  heard.  Then  came  conven- 
tions of  officers,  workmen,  and  salesmen,  resulting  in  the 
admirable  gatherings,  now  an  annual  feature,  which 
bring  together  for  an  entire  week  hundreds  of  agents 
and  the  large  office  and  factory  force.  A  semi-monthly 
magazine  was  established,  and  afterwards  other  peri- 
odicals. 

"  The  more  we  talked  face  to  face,  and  the  more  we 
published  through  the  printed  page,  the  better  we  un- 


JOHtf  H.   PATTERSON.  169 

understood  each  other,  the  less  trouble  we  had,  and  the 
more  good  suggestions  we  got  for  our  business,"  ex- 
plained Mr.  Patterson. 

PRIZES    FOR    SUGGESTIONS. 

Thus  deliberately,  year  by  year,  these  ideas  have  been 
developed  and  applied  to  improved  conditions  ;  and  it  is 
here  as  much  as  in  the  direct  business  plans  that  these 
brothers  show  their  remarkable  foresight  as  well  as 
genuine  love  for  their  fellowinen.  Each  year  $1,200  in 
prizes  are  offered  for  suggestions,  the  offers  being  open 
to  all  employees  except  heads  of  departments  and  their 
assistants.  Every  one,  from  messenger  boy  upward,  is 
eager  to  join  in  the  competition  and  help  to  build  up  the 
business.  Autographic  registers  in  every  department 
afford  immediate  means  for  making  the  suggestions. 
Of  the  four  thousand  suggestions  made  last  year  more 
than  one  thousand  were  adopted  for  use.  The  semi- 
annual presentation  of  prizes  is  a  great  occasion,  and 
brings  together  several  thousand  people  in  a  delightful 
"  family  gathering." 

Lectures  and  entertainments  are  frequently  prepared 
and  given.  Over  six  thousand  beautifully  colored  lan- 
tern slides  of  the  finest  kind  have  been  made  upon  all 
topics,  including  travel,  health,  business  organization, 
education,  history,  science,  and  art,  for  use  in  this  in- 
struction. No  more  intelligent  company  of  men  and 
women  can  be  found  in  any  establishment  than  these 
fifteen  hundred  workmen. 

"  Comfort  in  shop  and  at  home  is  essential  to  exact 
work  and  high  skill,"  is  the  guiding  principle  throughout 
this  factory.  Hence  the  buildings  are  models  of  neat- 
ness and  cleanliness,  the  workroom  having  as  much  at- 
tention as  the  office.  Free  baths  are  provided  in  every 


170  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

building,  and  each  employee  is  entitled  to  twenty  min- 
utes of  the  company's  time  each  week.  Special  systems 
of  ventilation,  large  windows,  and  cheerful  rooms  deco- 
rated with  palms  during  the  winter,  make  work  a  pleas- 
ure. 

The  company  employs  over  two  hundred  women,  and 
one  of  the  most  noticeable  things  in  the  entire  organiza- 
tion is  the  chivalry  shown  to  them  by  their  fellow-work- 
ers. In  all  the  rooms  are  supplied  chairs  with  backs 
and  foot-rests,  instead  of  the  usual  form  of  stools.  White 
aprons  with  sleeves  are  provided,  and  kept  in  order  at 
the  company's  expense.  Toilet  rooms  with  every  pro- 
vision for  convenience  and  comfort  are  arranged  on  each 
floor.  Noting  one  day  the  discomfort  attending  cold 
lunches,  the  president  immediately  ordered  arrangements 
made  for  providing  warm  lunches  for  the  women.  This 
resulted  in  the  fitting  up  of  a  refreshment  room  on 
the  fourth  floor,  to  which  the  elevator  carries  the 
employees,  and  there,  in  a  most  attractive  apartment,  a 
warm  lunch  is  served  each  day,  at  the  company's  ex- 
pense, to  every  woman  employee.  The  result  of  this 
was  seen  at  once  in  the  increased  output  of  the  depart- 
ments, so  that  the  company  realized  immediately  a  profit 
of  at  least  twenty-five  per  cent,  on  the  cost  of  the 
lunches. 

ENCOURAGING    HOME    LIFE. 

To  encourage  home  life  and  comforts  the  hours  of 
work  were  reduced  for  men  from  ten  to  nine  and  one- 
half  hours,  and  for  women  from  ten  to  eight  hours,  while 
the  rate  of  wages  remains  as  on  a  basis  of  ten  hours.  In 
addition  to  this  the  young  women  have  ten  minutes' 
recess,  morning  and  afternoon,  and  they  come  an  hour 
after  the  men  in  the  morning,  and  leave  ten  minutes  be- 


JOHN  H.   PATTERSON.  171 

fore  them  in  the  evening.  Saturday  half-holidays  for  all 
employees  have  been  the  rule  during  the  past  year.  A 
kindergarten  for  the  little  children,  and  a  cooking  school 
for  the  older  girls  and  young  women  have  been  provided 
at  the  company's  expense.  No  effort  is  spared  to  culti- 
vate a  high  standard  of  social  life  among  all  connected 
with  the  company.  On  these  occasions  all  distinction  of 
position  is  forgotten,  and  there  is  a  kindly  mingling  of 
the  men  and  women  and  their  families. 

These  evidences  of  interest  on  the  part  of  the  company 
have  been  responded  to  by  the  employees,  not  only  in 
increased  loyalty  and  enthusiasm,  but  also  in  the  develop- 
ment of  independent  thought  and  action.  The  young 
women  are  organized  in  an  excellent  women's  club,  the 
"  Century,"  which  is  a  member  of  the  State  and  National 
federations,  and  which  each  year  carries  out  a  pro- 
gramme that  would  do  credit  to  any  club  in  the  country. 
The  men  have  a  "  Progress  Club,"  for  the  discussion  of 
the  many  topics  of  the  day.  A  large  club  has  been 
organized  for  night  study  in  drawing,  mathematics,  and 
other  subjects  of  value  in  the  factory.  A  choral  society, 
a  relief  association,  which  includes  in  its  membership  a 
large  majority  of  the  employees,  and  which  provides  for 
help  in  time  of  sickness,  a  bicycle  club,  and  other  soci- 
eties, give  evidence  of  the  interest  of  the  people  them- 
selves. 

Nor  have  President  Patterson  and  his  associates  been 
satisfied  with  limiting  their  efforts  to  their  employees. 
They  believe  that  the  factory  should  be  a  helpful  in- 
fluence in  its  neighborhood,  and  even  in  the  entire  city. 
Hence  the  advantages  offered  to  employees  are  extended 
to  the  suburb  in  which  the  factory  is  situated.  Their 
first  effort  in  this  direction  was  the  beautifying  of  the 
company's  grounds,  which  are  to-day  among  the  most 


172  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

delightful  garden  spots  in  the  world.  This  was  followed 
by  the  offering  of  prizes  for  the  prettiest  home  grounds, 
front  yards,  back  yards,  vine  planting,  and  window- 
boxes,  in  South  Park.  Through  the  Improvement  As- 
sociation the  appearance  of  this  portion  of  the  city  has 
been  changed. 

ELEVATING    SOCIAL    INFLUENCES. 

Through  the  "  N.  C.  E.  House,"  a  pretty  cottage  pre- 
sided over  by  a  devoted  deaconess,  the  moral,  social,  and 
intellectual  life  of  the  entire  suburb  is  influenced.  Con- 
trary to  the  common  rule,  the  houses  facing  the  factory 
bring  the  highest  rents,  and  the  street  adjoining  it  is 
said  to  be  the  most  beautiful  street  in  the  world,  consid- 
ering the  size  of  the  lots  and  the  cost  of  the  houses, 
averaging  eighteen  hundred  dollars  each.  For  the  chil- 
dren of  the  neighborhood  are  provided  boys'  clubs,  girls' 
clubs,  sewing  and  millinery  schools,  and  the  boys'  prize 
vegetable  gardens.  These  last,  growing  out  of  the  early 
experience  of  the  owners  in  the  value  of  work,  have  been 
remarkably  successful,  A  Sunday-school,  held  in  the 
large  hall  of  the  factory,  has  an  attendance  of  over  five 
hundred,  and  supplying  a  delightful  Sunday  afternoon 
for  the  neighborhood.  A  mother's  guild,  a  kindergarten 
association,  a  branch  library,  with  several  hundred  well- 
selected  volumes,  and  all  the  leading  magazines,  open  to 
all  employees  and  the  neighborhood  alike,  attest  the 
mutual  sympathy  of  the  company  and  those  living  near. 

Summing  up  the  work  and  its  guiding  principles, 
President  Patterson  said : 

"  Labor  does  not  want  to  be  under  obligations ;  hence, 
when  well  treated,  it  will  return  the  treatment.  The 
quickest  way  to  reach  working  people  is  found  to  be 
through  the  kindergarten,  lunches  for  the  daughters, 


JOHN-  IL   PATTERSON.  173 

shorter  hours,  and  everything  that  shows  consideration, 
even  though  it  does  not  cost  much.  Everything  is  done 
that  we  can  afford  to  do.  Perhaps  one-fourth  of  our 
people  misconstrued  our  intentions,  and  did  not  appre- 
ciate what  was  done,  hence  we  separated.  Now  nearly 
all  are  loyally  seconding  every  effort. 

A    VERITABLE    GARDEN. 

"  We  have  made  it  almost  impossible  for  a  man  to  live 
in  this  community  and  neglect  his  premises.  At  first  I 
met  with  a  strange  and  unaccountable  opposition  in  my 
efforts  to  get  the  people  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  fac- 
tory to  beautify  their  yards,  or  even  to  keep  them  clear 
of  rubbish  heaps.  Morning-glory  seeds  are  cheap.  I 
bought  several  hundred  packages  of  these,  and  induced  a 
few  to  plant  them.  I  had  pictures  taken  of  all  the  un- 
sightly yards  and  spots  about  the  neighborhood.  These 
were  converted  into  lantern  slides,  and  exhibited  with 
appropriate  comments  wherever  the  people  congregated. 
This  created  a  storm  of  indignation,  but  in  doing  this  I 
was  exercising  the  privilege  of  any  citizen.  It  had  its 
good  results. 

"  Little  by  little,  the  offensive  places  were  cleaned  up, 
and  a  smoky,  disreputable  region  has  become  a  veritable 
garden.  There  are  no  people  about  here  now  who  would 
tear  down  the  vines  and  litter  up  their  yards.  They 
take  a  pride  in  the  appearance  of  the  community." 


XXVIII. 

A    KICK    MAN    WHO    IS    PKAISED    BY    THE 
POOR. 


LATE  one  afternoon  I  stopped  to  converse  with  a  po- 
liceman in  Central  Park.  Another  policeman  came  up. 
Nathan  Straus  was  mentioned. 

"  Well,  I  tell  you,"  said  the  first  policeman,  stamping 
his  foot,  "  there  is  a  man  !  " 

"  Charities !  He  's  the  only  man  in  New  York  City 
who  gives  real  charities.  Why,  when  others  want  to  give, 
they  go  to  him,  and  have  him  do  it  for  them.  He  knows 
what 's  what.  I  tell  you,  he  ?s  the  most  respected  man  in 
New  York  City." 

"That's  right." 

Go  on  the  East  Side,  and  ask  about  Nathan  Straus, 
and  you  will  hear  what  is  as  pleasant  as  it  is  rare,  —  the 
poor  giving  the  rich  man  unstinted  praise.  But  do  not 
speak  to  Mr.  Straus  about  his  work  as  charity ;  he  dis- 
likes to  have  it  called  by  that  name. 

PRACTICAL,    MERCIFUL    BENEFICENCE. 

The  greatest  blessing  that  he  has  conferred  on  New 
York  is  helping  the  poor  to  get  pure,  sterilized  milk. 
No  work  of  beneficence  ever  before  showed  such  surpris- 
ing results.  It  has  reduced  the  death  rate  of  infants 
over  fifty  per  cent.  Formerly  almost  seventy-five  per 
cent,  of  the  children  of  the  very  poor  died. 

174 


NATHAN  STRAUS.  175 

It  was  in  the  summer  of  1893  that  Mr.  Straus  opened 
his  first  milk  depot,  at  which  milk  was  sold  for  four 
cents  a  quart ;  one  and  one-half  cents  a  bottle  for  steril- 
ized pure  milk ;  one  cent  a  bottle  (six  ounces)  for  mod- 
ified milk ;  and  one  cent  a  glass  for  pure  milk. 

It  was  a  loss  to  the  benefactor,  but  he  established  other 
depots  throughout  the  unhealthy  portions  of  the  city  and 
in  the  parks.  Doctors  received  blanks  to  fill  out  for  milk 
for  those  unable  to  purchase,  and  to  such  it  was  given 
free.  A  doctor's  prescription  was  honored.  What  fol- 
lowed ?  The  death  rate  was  reduced. 

At  the  instigation  of  his  son  —  who  died  from  a  cold 
contracted  in  distributing  coal  —  coal  yards  had  been 
established  on  the  docks  and  elsewhere.  The  dealers  at 
that  time  were  retailing  coal  at  ten  cents  and  fourteen 
cents  a  basket,  which  made  the  price  from  twelve  dol- 
lars to  sixteen  dollars  per  ton.  At  Mr.  Straus's  depots 
five-cent  tickets  procured  twenty  and  twenty-five  pounds  ; 
ten-cent  tickets,  forty  and  fifty  pounds,  and  so  on.  Most 
of  the  coal  was  carried  in  baskets  on  the  shoulders  and 
backs  of  those  who,  in  some  cases,  had  walked  miles  to 
obtain  it.  During  the  last  financial  panic  grocery  stores 
were  started,  where  five  cents  procured  a  large  amount 
of  food.  Lodging  houses  were  opened,  where  a  clean  bed 
and  a  breakfast  of  coffee  and  bread  could  be  procured  for 
five  cents,  and  lunch  rooms  where  two  cents  purchased 
bread  and  coffee  and  corned  beef. 

The  great  financier,  J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  asked  Mr. 
Straus  to  be  permitted  to  assist  him  in  the  grocery  stores, 
and  a  large  central  depot  was  rented  at  345  Grand  street, 
for  which  Mr.  Morgan  furnished  the  money  and  Mr. 
Straus  acted  as  manager. 

Although  all  these  charities  in  which  Mr.  Straus  has 
been  interested  have  entailed  a  steady  loss,  a  great  num- 


176  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

ber  of  those  he  benefited  and  benefits  are  under  the  im- 
pression that  he  does  not  sustain  a  loss,  and  that  they 
merely  buy  for  less  than  they  would  pay  elsewhere. 

HE    DOES    NOT    WOUND    THEIR    SELF-RESPECT. 

This  is  exactly  the  impression  he  desires  them  to  pos- 
sess —  in  his  own  words  : 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  make  a  single  one  feel  that  he  is 
receiving  charity,  or  is  in  any  way  a  pauper.  Such  an 
impression  is  harmful,  and  lowers  the  standard  of  those 
who  have  a  right  to  consider  that  they  are  the  sinews  of 
the  country.  I  wish  them  to  feel  only  that  they  are  buy- 
ing at  low  prices.  Suppose  that  those  who  buy  five  cents' 
worth  of  groceries  and  trudge  a  distance  for  them  are 
able  to  pay  a  little  more.  The  mere  fact  that  they  walk 
far  to  save  a  few  cents  proves  that  their  hard  earned 
pennies  are  precious,  and  that  there  is  the  necessity  of 
getting  all  that  can  be  obtained  for  their  money." 

HE    IS    A    KEEN,    ENERGETIC    MANAGER. 

Such  is  the  keynote  of  Mr.  Straus's  love  for  humanity. 
He  is  not  a  "  lord  bountiful,"  but  a  generous  man,  unso- 
licitous  of  thanks.  There  are  many  records  of  him  having 
helped  individuals.  Two  young  men  in  his  employ  were 
threatened  with  an  early  death  from  consumption.  He 
sent  them  to  a  sanitarium  in  the  Adirondacks  for  a  year, 
when  they  returned  sound  in  health.  During  their  ab- 
sence, their  salaries  were  paid  to  their  families. 

In  business  Mr.  Straus  is  a  strict  disciplinarian.  He 
believes  that  every  man  should  attend  strictly  to  duty, 
and  this  is  the  fundamental  secret  of  his  success.  In  his 
own  words,  "  Any  man  with  the  ordinary  amount  of  bus- 
iness instinct  can  succeed.  To  succeed,  you  must  be 
honest,  believe  in  your  own  ability,  and  after  having  se- 


NATHAN  STRAUS.  Ill 

i 

lected  your  path  in  life,  stick  to  it  through  thick  and  thin. 
With  ordinary  mental  endowments,  there  is  no  reason 
why  any  young  man  should  fail. 

"  Do  I  think  the  chances  of  to-day  are  as  great  as  some 
years  ago  ?  They  are  greater.  The  thing  is  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  opportunities  and  utilize  them  to  the  best  of 
your  ability.  Chances  or  opportunities  come  to  every  one 
often  in  a  lifetime.  They  should  be  recognized.  Never 
let  one  slip ;  but  weigh  the  possibilities.  The  great 
trouble  is,  a  great  many  young  men  do  not  bestir  them- 
selves. They  fall  into  a  rut,  and  lack  '  ginger.'  This  is 
a  bustling  world,  and  every  young  man  should  be  wide- 
awake and  on  the  lookout,  constantly  giving  conscien- 
tious attention  to  duty.  Duty,  integrity,  and  energy  are 
the  watchwords,  and  will  direct  you  on  the  road  to  suc- 
cess. Eemeniber  that  the  opportunities  of  to-day  are  as 
great  as  ever." 


THE    BACKGROUND    OF    HIS    LIFE. 

But  though  Mr.  Straus  is  a  tireless  worker  he  finds 
time  for  a  little  recreation.  He  is  one  of  the  best  gentle- 
man drivers  in  the  city,  and  he  delights  to  race  on  the 
speedway.  Still  the  background  of  his  life  is  charity. 
For  many  years  he  desired  to  establish  a  sterilizing  plant 
on  Randall's  Island,  for  the  benefit  of  waifs  and  found- 
lings taken  there.  The  death  rate  was  very  high.  At 
length  he  gained  his  point,  and  a  recent  unsolicited  letter 
from  the  matron  contained  the  gratifying  statement 
"  that  the  death  rate  since  the  installation  of  the  plant 
has  been  reduced  fully  fifty  per  cent." 

In  such  deeds  Nathan  Straus  delights.  His  life  is  one 
of  perpetual  attention  to  duty  and  to  business,  and  he 
encourages  others  who  would  succeed,  by  saying :  "  Go 


178  TALKS    WITH   GREAT    WORKERS. 

at  it  with  a  will,  and  stick  to  your  ambitious  aspirations 
through  thick  and  thin  !  " 

Mr.  Straus  himself  is  an  excellent  example  of  the  suc- 
cess of  the  principle  which  he  urges  upon  others  as  a  rule 
of  life.  His  whole  career  has  been  distinguished  by  tire- 
less energy  and  industry,  and  the  interests  which  are 
under  his  control  have  never  suffered  for  any  lack  of 
careful  and  thorough  attention.  He  has  always  been 
deliberate  and  consistent  in  adopting  and  adhering  to 
any  policy,  public  or  private,  and  never  deserts  those 
whom  he  has  seen  fit  to  honor  with  his  confidence,  save 
on  absolute  proof  of  their  unworthiness. 


XXIX. 

THE    DISCOVERER    OF    TWO    HUNDRED 
INVENTIONS  : 

SUCCESS  FOUND  IN  HARD   WORK. 


NIKOLA  TESLA,  the  electrician,  was  born  in  1858,  at 
Smiljan,  Lika,  on  the  borderland  of  Austro-Hungaiy. 
His  mother  had  great  ingenuity,  and  delighted  in  the  con- 
struction of  looms  and  churns.  His  father  was  a  clergy- 
man in  the  Greek  Church,  and  intended  that  his  son 
should  succeed  him  in  the  sacred  office.  There  were 
many  children  in  the  family,  of  whom  Nikola  was  one  of 
the  youn  gest,  and  the  most  remarkable.  He  always  domi- 
nated his  brothers  and  sisters  in  their  games,  and  at 
school  he  had  a  decided  aptitude  for  study.  At  school 
one  day  the  master  was  experimenting  in  mechanics  be- 
fore the  class.  The  children  were  gathered  round  the 
desk,  Nikola  in  the  front  row.  The  teacher  proceeded  to 
demonstrate  what  he  considered  one  of  the  main  prin- 
ciples of  electricity.  He  explained  just  why  the  lever 
moved,  and  had  almost  finished,  when  Nikola,  who  had 
been  listening  intently,  interrupted  him.  "That  can't 
be  true/'  he  said  quietly.  The  master  looked  at  him  in 
astonishment,  and  demanded  an  explanation  of  his  words. 
"  Well,  I  say  that  is  n't  true,"  said  Nikola  again ;  "  I 
can't  tell  you  why  to-day,  but  I  will  to-morrow." 

179 


180  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

The  master  dismissed  the  class,  and  warned  Mkola 
that  if  he  did  not  prove  his  assertion  before  the  week  was 
out,  he  would  have  to  answer  for  his  impudence.  The 
young  student  went  home,  and  confidently  began  his  ex- 
periments to  prove  that  the  master  was  wrong.  All 
night  long  he  worked,  becoming  more  hopeful  every 
moment.  Before  daylight  he  had  finished  his  model, 
and  went  to  bed  triumphant.  He  declares  that  when  he 
went  up  to  the  desk  and  showed  his  machine  to  the 
teacher  he  felt  more  triumphant  than  he  has  ever  felt 
since;  and  when  he  was  openly  commended  before  the 
school  his  joy  was  supreme.  It  was  not  long  before  the 
whole  town  knew  that  Nikola  Tesla  was  destined  for  a 
great  electrician,  and  his  career  had  begun. 

THE    RACE    OF    GENIUS. 

Young  Tesla's  early  studies  were  in  electricity  and 
magnetism.  Later  he  went  to  Prague  and  Buda-Pesth 
to  study  languages.  He  then  entered  the  laboratory  of 
a  great  inventor  at  Vienna;  but  becoming  dissatisfied, 
went  to  Paris,  and  engaged  in  the  labor  of  furnishing 
that  city  with  electric  lights.  Then  he  went  to  other 
cities  ;  ever  rising  in  his  profession,  making  new  improve- 
ments, new  discoveries,  and  adding  continually  to  his 
fame.  His  name  became  known  all  over  the  continent 
and  in  London.  The  king  of  Servia,  proud  of  such  a  sub- 
ject, decorated  him  ;  and  the  emperor  of  Austria  did  like- 
wise. His  rise  was  almost  phenomenal,  and  many  places 
in  Europe  were  open  to  him. 

Tesla  was  a  lover  of  liberty.  He  looked  with  longing 
eyes  toward  America,  where  there  is  such  a  promising 
field  for  electricians.  He  had  read  of  Edison,  and  deter- 
mined to  come  to  New  York  and  seek  a  place  with  the 
great  inventor.  Edison  gladly  received  him ;  and  for 


NIKOLA   TESLA.  181 

many  years  the  two  worked  together,  each  relying  to  a 
certain  extent  on  the  other,  and  each  profiting  by  the 
other's  knowledge.  Gradually  their  ideas  began  to  differ, 
and  it  was  decided  that  they  had  better  separate. 

SUPERIOR  TO    DISCOURAGEMENT. 

On  the  morning  of  March  13, 1895,  Mr.  Tesla  met  with 
a  bitter  experience  in  the  entire  destruction  of  his  fine 
laboratory  on  South  Fifth  avenue  by  fire.  It  was  a  hard 
blow  to  the  inventor,  who  cried  like  a  child.  The  work 
of  years  had  gone  up  in  smoke ;  and  two  tottering  walls, 
like  tumbling  monuments,  marked  the  place  where  he 
had  spent  years  of  toil  and  tribulation  in  trying  to  wrest 
the  secrets  from  Nature.  But  before  the  ashes  were 
fairly  cold  he  was  planning  for  new  quarters  on  East 
Houston  street.  While  the  valuable  papers,  notes,  and 
data  for  years  were  destroyed,  the  man  was  still  alive. 

44  More  divine,  the  master  of  all  these." 

The  new  laboratory  soon  grew,  and  it  is  now  one  of 
the  best  equipped  in  the  country.  Mr.  Tesla  is  in  his 
laboratory  at  half-past  eight  every  morning,  and  spends 
a  long  day  there,  planning,  experimenting,  and  making 
models.  He  puts  an  enormous  amount  of  energy  into  his 
work,  and  never  stops  until  he  has  hit  upon  the  idea  he 
is  after.  He  has  a  corps  of  clever  assistants,  but  is  care- 
ful to  do  all  the  important  work  himself. 

"THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESS  is  HARD  WORK." 
This  was  Tesla' s  answer  to  my  question,  when  I  called 

upon  him  to  inquire  the  secret  of  his  advancement  in 

scientific  discovery. 

"  To  be  successful  in  this  world,"  continued  the  great 

electrician,  "one  must  perform  the  hardest  kind  of  work. 


182  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

You  must  keep  at  it  night  and  day,  and  not  stop  a  min- 
ute. There  is  no  royal  road.  This  has  been  the  plan  I 
have  followed  for  years.  I  work  from  sixteen  to  twenty 
hours  out  of  the  twenty-four." 

The  life  of  Tesla  is  passed  in  continuous  labor  in  his 
laboratory,  where,  after  working  all  day,  from  eight  in 
the  morning  till  eight  at  night,  he  has  often  had  his  din- 
ner brought  in,  and  where  he  has  continued  to  work  till 
eleven  or  twelve.  Twice  in  two  years  he  has  been  to  the 
theatre.  On  very  rare  occasions  he  has  heeded  some 
social  call. 

Mr.  Tesla's  hours  are  crammed  with  experiments  and 
scientific  investigations.  He  has  already  patented  some 
two  hundred  inventions,  has  a  similar  number  in  various 
stages  of  evolution  in  his  laboratory,  and  is  dreaming 
daily  of  new  worlds  to  conquer. 

DUPLICATING   THE    FIREFLY'S    LIGHT. 

"It  may  interest  you,"  he  said  to  me,  "to  know  that 
my  system  of  vacuum-tube  lighting  is  a  success.  It  is 
now  almost  ready  to  be  given  to  the  public,  and  I  expect 
soon  to  make  an  announcement  on  the  subject.  I  have 
been  watching  very  carefully  what  other  inventors  have 
been  doing  in  this  direction,  and  can  assure  you  that  my 
light  will  meet  all  requirements.'7 

The  aim  and  ambition  of  electricians  is  to  actually 
manufacture  artificial  daylight.  At  first  thought,  it 
seems  a  very  easy  matter  to  duplicate  the  light  of  the 
firefly.  Nevertheless,  for  ages,  the  insect  has  success- 
fully kept  the  secrets  of  its  phosphorescent  prison-house, 
baffled  the  brains  of  the  world,  and  proved  as  elusive  to 
electricians  as  the  will-o'-the-wisp.  Of  late,  several  elec- 
tricians have  been  making  remarkable  headway  —  not- 
ably Tesla,  Edison,  Moore,  and  Haines.  All  have  been 


NIKOLA    TESLA.  183 

devoting  their  time  to  vacuum-tubes.  Mr.  Tesla  showed 
his  friends,  some  time  since,  what  he  could  accomplish 
with  a  single  tube,  producing  a  good  photograph  made 
at  a  distance  of  four  feet  with  only  two  minutes'  expos- 
ure. That  he  has  at  last  succeeded  in  producing  arti- 
ficial sunlight,  which  will  stream  from  long  glass  tubes, 
is  not  surprising,  in  view  of  his  long  years  of  patient 
experiment  and  hard  work.  The  points  in  favor  of  the 
Tesla  light  are  beautiful  illumination,  the  absence  of 
deadly  wires,  and  the  non-employment  of  any  kind  of 
filament  in  the  tubes. 

He  has  made  a  machine  for  measuring  the  electric  dis- 
charges from  the  earth ;  thus  suggesting  the  possibility 
of  "calling  up"  and  communicating  with  the  planet 
Mars  some  day  by  means  of  signals.  And  he  has  tried 
to  harness  the  electrical  discharge  of  the  earth  for  hu- 
man service.  Before  he  took  up  the  subject  the  alternat- 
ing current  had  no  recognized  place.  Now  it  is  used 
everywhere,  and  has  cheapened  light  and  power.  This 
he  has  made  use  of  in  transmitting  the  energy  of  Niagara 
Falls  to  the  surrounding  cities  and  towns. 

He  believes  that  his  discovery  of  the  rotating  magnetic 
field  is  the  invention  by  which  he  will  be  best  known. 
The  "  Tesla  Oscillator  "  is  a  blending  of  the  dynamo  and 
the  steam  engine ;  the  idea  being  to  get  the  electric  cur- 
rent directly  from  steam. 

PERSONAL    APPEARANCE. 

In  personal  appearance  he  is  tall  and  commanding. 
Like  Cassius,  he  has  a  "lean  and  hungry  look"  and 
"thinks  too  much." 

Mr.  Tesla  is  a  great  genius,  survey  him  as  you  will. 
To  every  one  he  is  courteous.  He  always  inspires  you 
by  his  noble  character.  He  fully  believes  that  a  firm 


184  TALKS   WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

faith  is  the  best  divinity,  a  good  life  the  best  philosophy, 
a  clear  conscience  the  best  law,  honesty  the  best  policy, 
and  temperance  the  best  physic.  His  achievements  in 
electrical  science  have  already  marked  him  as  one  of  the 
greatest  benefactors  to  civilized  society  which  our  age 
has  produced. 


XXX. 

A  CAPTAIN   OF  INVENTION: 
AND   THE   GIRL   WHO  KNEW  TOO   MUCH. 


"  I  WAS  a  mere  cipher  in  that  vast  sea  of  human  enter- 
prise," said  Henry  Bessemer,  speaking  of  his  arrival  in 
London  in  1831.  Although  but  eighteen  years  old,  and 
without  an  acquaintance  in  the  city,  he  soon  made  work 
for  himself  by  inventing  a  process  of  copying  bas-reliefs 
on  cardboard,  by  which  one  could  learn  in  ten  minutes 
how  to  make  a  die  from  an  embossed  stamp,  for  a  penny. 
Ascertaining  that  in  this  way  the  raised  stamps  on  offi- 
cial papers  could  be  forged,  he  invented  a  perforated  stamp 
which  could  not  be  forged  or  removed.  At  the  stamp 
office  the  chief  told  him  that  the  government  was  losing 
£100,000  a  year  through  the  custom  of  removing  stamps 
from  old  parchments  and  using  them  again.  The  chief 
also  appreciated  the  new  danger  of  easy  counterfeiting. 
So  he  offered  Bessemer  a  definite  sum  for  his  process  of 
perforation,  or  an  office  for  life  at  £800  a  year.  Besse- 
mer chose  the  office,  and  hastened  to  tell  the  good  news 
to  a  young  woman  with  whom  he  had  agreed  to  share 
his  fortune.  In  explaining  his  invention,  he  told  how 
it  would  prevent  any  one  from  taking  a  valuable  stamp 
from  a  document  a  hundred  years  old  and  using  it  a 
second  time. 

185 


186  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 


A    FLASH    OF    WOMAN'S    WIT. 

"  Yes,"  said  his  betrothed,  "  I  understand  that ;  but  if 
all  stamps  had  a  date  put  upon  them,  they  could  not  after- 
wards be  used  without  detection." 

A  lightning-flash  of  woman's  wit  had  done  more  than 
his  months  of  study.  And  the  same  little  word  would 
render  Henry's  perforation  device  of  far  less  value  than 
a  last  year's  bird's  nest.  Henry  felt  proud  of  the  young 
woman's  ingenuity,  and  suggested  the  improvement  at  the 
stamp  office.  Perforation  was  abandoned  ;  but,  alas  !  as 
a  consequence,  he  was  deprived  of  his  promised  office ; 
the  government  coolly  making  use,  from  that  day  to  this, 
without  compensation,  of  the  idea  conveyed  by  that  little, 
insignificant  word  "  date." 

So  it  would  seem  that  Bessemer's  betrothed  knew  too 
much.  And  it  came  about  that  the  government  pre- 
vented the  stealing  of  official  stamps  by  stealing  from 
Bessemer. 

A    DISTINGUISHED    FATHER. 

Bessemer's  father,  Antony  Bessemer,  was  extraordi- 
narily gifted.  Born  in  London,  his  boyhood  was  spent 
in  Holland.  At  twenty  years  of  age  he  erected  pump- 
ing-engines  at  Haarlem  to  drain  the  turf-pits.  Before 
he  was  twenty-five  this  genius  was  elected  one  of  the 
"  Forty  Immortals  "  of  the  French  Academy,  for  im- 
provements in  the  microscope.  The  Revolution  drove 
him  from  France ;  he  barely  escaped  from  the  mob  and 
from  prison.  In  London  he  achieved  distinction  as  a 
type-founder.  " Bessemer  type"  lasted  nearly  twice  as 
long  as  other  type. 

Henry's  father  perceived  that  his  son  was  a  "  chip  off 
the  old  block."  On  a  visit  to  London  he  purchased  for 


HENRY  BESSEMER.  187 

the  boy  "  one  of  those  beautiful  Holtzappel  foot-lathes," 
and  the  youth  studied  and  practised  turning,  with  all 
the  enthusiasm  of  genius  and  youth.  At  eighteen  he 
went  to  London,  and  invented  a  machine  to  make  pat- 
terns of  Utrecht  velvet. 

Bessemer's  inventions  indicate  a  mental  activity  and 
versatility,  as  "a  keen  observer,  original  thinker,  and 
clever  inventor,  rarely  or  never  equalled.  In  two  con- 
secutive years  Mr.  Bessemer  took  out  twenty-seven 
patents;  in  some  instances,  four  or  five  for  the  most 
diverse  subjects  in  a  single  day.  For  improvements  in 
sugar  manufacture,  he  was  awarded  the  Prince  Albert 
gold  medal.  He  extracted  eighty-five  per  cent,  of  juice 
from  the  cane.  Scott  Eussell  came  next,  but  fell  short 
ten  per  cent.,  althpugh  he  used  a  powerful  press." 

To  this  day  the  mechanical  means  of  making  Bes- 
semer's gold  paint  remains  a  secret.  At  first  he  made 
one  thousand  per  cent,  profit ;  it  still  yields  three  hun- 
dred per  cent,  profit.  "  Three  out  of  my  five  assistants 
have  died;  if  the  other  two  were  to  die,  and  myself, 
too,  no  one  would  know  what  the  invention  is."  But, 
after  writing  thus  in  1871,  Bessemer  rewarded  their 
faithfulness  by  handing  over  to  these  two  men  the  large 
and  profitable  business  of  the  bronze-powder  and  gold- 
paint  factory  at  Camden  Town. 

But  the  invention  which  placed  his  name  with  those 
of  Watt,  Arkwright,  Stephenson,  and  other  revolution- 
ists of  methods,  was  his  method  of  making  "  Bessemer 
steel." 

"  STRONGER    METAL    FOR    GUNS." 

"  The  shots  rotate  properly,"  said  Commander  Minie 
to  Bessemer,  "  but  if  you  cannot  get  stronger  metal  for 
your  guns,  such  heavy  projectiles  will  be  of  little  use." 


188  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

Bessemer  was  exhibiting  to  the  French  authorities  at 
Vincennes  his  elongated  projectiles  from  a  light  cast- 
iron  smooth-bore  gun.  "  Stronger  metal  for  the  guns !  " 
—  that  was  the  problem;  his  mind  instantly  grappled 
with  it,  and  he  finally  solved  it. 

Up  to  1740  the  finest  steel  made  by  the  Hindoos  cost 
£10,000  a  ton.  Huntsman's  process  produced  equally 
good  steel  for  £50  to  £100  a  ton. 

"  Bessemer  had  no  connection  with  the  iron  or  steel 
trade,  and  knew  little  or  nothing  of  metallurgy."  This 
was  a  disadvantage,  yet  an  advantage;  for  he  entered 
on  his  career  untrammelled  by  notions.  "  Persons  wholly 
unconnected  with  a  particular  business,"  he  says,  "  are 
the  men  who  make  all  the  great  inventions  of  the  age." 

About  eighteen  months  he  experimented,  when  he  was 
successful.  Then  he  engaged  St.  ?ancras,  the  old  resi- 
dence of  Richard  Baxter,  for  experimental  iron  works. 
"  The  primitive  apparatus  being  ready,  the  engine  was 
made  to  force  streams  of  air,  under  high  pressure, 
through  the  bottom  of  the  vessel,  which  was  lined  with 
fire-clay;  the  stoker,  in  some  bewilderment,  poured  in 
the  liquefied  metal.  Instantly,  out  came  a  volcanic  erup- 
tion of  such  dazzling  coruscations  as  had  never  been  seen 
before.  The  heat  was  so  extreme  that  the  iron-holders 
seemed  about  to  melt.  They  were  soon  relieved  by  find- 
ing that  the  decarburization  or  combustion  had  expended 
its  fury ;  and,  most  wonderful  of  all,  the  product  was 
steel.  The  new  metal  was  tried ;  its  quality  was  good. 
The  problem  was  solved.  The  new  process  seemed  suc- 
cessful. The  inventor  was  elated. 

"  Astonished  at  his  own  success,  he  went  to  the  Patent 
Office  and  examined  all  the  patents  to  see  whether  any- 
body had  done  the  same  thing  before.  He  found  no 
trace  of  such  an  operation,  but  observed  that  steam  had 


HENRY  BESSEMER.  189 

been  used  in  that  way.  So  he  specified  both  in  his 
patent.77  "  The  result  of  my  experiment/7  he  says, 
"  showed  me  that  the  highest  temperature  ever  known  in 
the  arts  can  be  produced  by  the  simple  introduction  of 
atmospheric  air  into  cast  iron.77 

When  Bessemer  was  to  read  his  account  a  gentleman 
at  a  hotel  said  :  "  Clay,  I  want  you  to  go  down  with  me 
this  morning.  A  fellow  has  come  down  from  London  to 
read  a  paper  on  making  steel  from  cast  iron  without  fuel ! 
Ha  !  ha  !  ha ! 77  Before  night  he  laughed  the  other  way, 
and  said  he  "  would  at  once  place  his  establishment  under 
the  invention.'7 

Bessemer  told  them  that  steel  would  eventually  super- 
sede iron  for  railway  purposes.  Napoleon  III.,  his 
greatest  patron,  at  the  outset  wished  it  introduced  at 
Roulle ;  Nasmyth  thought  it  a  great  discovery.  Besse- 
mer was  offered  £50,000  for  the  patent.  He  put  large 
royalties  upon  it. 

But  dismal  failures  occurred.  Six  weeks  later  the 
whole  thing  was  voted  a  "  failure  77  by  assembled  iron- 
masters. 


"  AFTER    CLOUDS,    SUNSHINE.77 

It  was  found  that  phosphorus  and  sulphur  in  the  iron 
made  the  trouble.  Robert  Mushet  and  Bessemer  both 
claim  to  have  discovered  the  remedy,  the  introduction 
of  ferro-manganese  or  Spiegeleisen.  While  denying  an 
encroachment  upon  Mushet,  Bessemer  gave  the  less  for- 
tunate inventor  an  annuity  of  three  hundred  pounds. 
Robert  Mushet  ever  proclaimed  that  he  first  applied 
manganese  to  Bessemer  metal ;  but  Henry  Bessemer  was 
never  proved  to  have  infringed  any  patent  right  by  the 
free  use  of  manganese.  The  Bessemer  process  became 


190  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

perfect,  after  four  years'  application  and  £20,000  spent 
in  experiments. 

To  make  Bessemer  iron  and  steel  a  commercial  suc- 
cess was  another  thing.  Exultant  at  first,  iron-masters 
were  afraid  of  it. 


THE    INVENTOR    BECAME    IRON-WORKER. 

But  he  bought  up  his  licenses  already  given,  built 
works  at  Sheffield,  and  began  underselling  his  neighbors 
by  twenty  pounds  a  ton.  Soon  they  came  to  him  and 
paid  his  royalty  —  some  of  them  very  reluctantly. 

This  man,  who  six  years  before  knew  no  more  about 
making  iron  than  a  school-boy,  was  master  of  iron-mas- 
ters the  world  over. 

"  According  to  the  best  information  extant,  in  the 
twenty -one  years  after  the  process  was  first  successfully 
worked,  the  production  of  steel  by  it,  notwithstanding 
its  slow  progress  at  first,  amounted  to  no  less  than 
twenty-five  million  tons ;  and  if  we  estimate  the  saving, 
as  compared  with  the  old  process  which  it  superseded, 
at  forty  pounds  a  ton,  the  total  would  be  about  £1,000,- 
000,000.  In  1882  the  world's  production  was  over  four 
million  tons.  Over  one  hundred  works  had  adopted  it, 
and  over  three  thousand  three  hundred  converters  had 
been  erected."  Since  the  process  was  perfected  the 
annual  production  of  steel  in  England  has  been  raised 
from  fifty  thousand  to  three  million  tons,  while  its  cost 
has  been  reduced  more  than  five  hundred  per  cent.  The 
United  States  product  for  1897  was  5,475,315  long  tons. 

Perhaps  in  no  department  of  industry  has  the 
Bessemer  process  caused  greater  improvement.  The 
superiority  of  steel  to  iron  rails  is  not  now  questioned. 
A  steel  rail  lasts  nine  times  as  long  as  an  iron  one ;  the 


HENRY  BESSEMER.  191 

difference  in  cost  is  trifling.  In  1880  sixteen  thousand 
miles  of  steel  rails  had  been  laid  in  Great  Britain ;  when 
the  twenty-five  thousand  miles  of  British  railway  were 
relaid  in  steel  there  would  be  an  annual  saving  of 
£3,000,000  in  the  cost  of  renewal  of  rails.  Were  this 
economy  extended  to  the  world's  railway  system  the 
annual  saving  would  be  over  £20,000,000  or  $100,000,000. 

HONOR,    PROFIT,    AND    FAME. 

Bessemer  was  knighted  by  Queen  Victoria  in  1879, 
and  received  gold  medals,  especially  the  Albert  gold 
medal  in  1872,  and  a  gold  medal  from  Napoleon  III., 
weighing  twelve  ounces. 

Profit  as  well  as  honor  came  to  him ;  when  his  patents 
expired,  in  1870,  he  had  received,  in  royalties,  over  a 
million  sterling,  or,  to  use  his  own  expression,  1,057,748 
"of  the  beautiful  little  gold  medals  issued  by  the  Royal 
Mint,  with  the  benign  features  of  her  most  gracious 
Majesty  Queen  Victoria  stamped  upon  them."  The 
Sheffield  works  had  yielded  the  owners  eighty-one  times 
their  original  capital  in  fourteen  years  ;  that  is,  their 
profit  every  two  months  paid  for  the  original  investment. 

Bessemer's  inventive  brain  ceased  its  work  on  earth 
March  14, 1898.  He  looked  back  upon  eighty-five  years. 
Abraham  Hewitt,  rehearsing  the  effects  of  his  great  in- 
vention upon  travel,  transportation,  and  labor,  said  that 
he  was  practically,  though  not  theoretically,  the  "  great 
apostle  of  Democracy,"  and  "printing,  the  mariner's 
compass,  the  discovery  of  America,  and  the  steam  engine, 
are  the  only  capital  events  in  modern  history  which 
belong  to  the  same  category  as  the  Bessemer  process." 

Two  towns  in  the  United  States  are  named  for  him  — 
Bessemer,  Michigan,  and  Bessemer,  Alabama. 


192  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

"  Bessemer  earned  and  merited  all  lie  got.  His  im- 
mortal contribution  to  the  welfare  of  humanity  was  the 
result  of  no  accident,  but  of  toil,  self-sacrifice,  devotion, 
and  fortitude.  He  became  very  rich,  but  his  personal 
fortune,  compared  with  the  addition  which  he  made  to 
the  wealth  of  the  world,  was  but  as  a  grain  of  sand  on  a 
beach,  or  one  star  in  the  sky." 


ROBERT    BONNER. 


XXXI. 

PRUDENCE,  PERSEVERANCE,  AND  ENTERPRISE 
OF  ROBERT  BONNER. 


ROBERT  BONDER  was  "a  Scotchman  born  in  Ireland," 
at  Londonderry,  April  24,  1824;  and  he  became  presi- 
dent of  the  "  Scotch-Irish  Society  of  America."  He 
came  to  America  in  1839.  As  a  mere  boy,  he  worked  in 
the  printing-office  of  the  "  Hartford  Courant,"  as  an  ap- 
prentice, at  twenty-five  dollars  the  first  year,  thirty-five 
for  the  second,  and  forty-five  for  the  third,  with  board 
and  lodging.  The  paper  had  a  circulation  then  of  only 
five  hundred  copies.  "  I  had  a  great  deal  of  typesetting 
to  do,"  he  said,  "  and  it  was  hard  work."  He  felt  elated 
when  he  was  hired  as  printer,  and  also  when,  for  good 
work  later,  he  was  given  an  extra  twelve  cents  an  hour. 

"A  printing-office  is  not  a  bad  school,"  said  Mr.  Bonner 
to  me  not  long  ago,  "  and  from  setting  up  good  literature 
in  type  I  learned  many  things,  simply  from  reading  the 
articles  I  set  up.  I  can  never  forget  one  great  truth  that 
came  to  me  unexpectedly  one  day.  I  was  setting  up  an 
article  by  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  when  I  came  across 
these  words  : 

"  '  O  discontented  man!   Whatever  you  want,  pay  the  price  and 
take  it.' 

"  Those  words  made  a  profound  impression  upon  my 
youthful  mind.  I  soon  saw  that  work  is  the  price  paid 

193 


194  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

for  all  success,  and  from  that  time  on  I  have  been  will- 
ing to  pay  the  price.  In  the  printing-office  in  Hartford 
I  did  my  best,  and  was  promoted  when  the  time  came, 
and  so  it  continued." 

Young  Bonner  was  the  quickest  typesetter  in  the  office 
of  the  "  Hartford  Courant,"  and  on  one  occasion  set  up 
the  president's  message  at  the  rate  of  seventeen  hundred 
ems  an  hour,  to  enable  that  paper  to  get  the  message  out 
in  advance  of  other  papers.  He  proved  so  intelligent  as  a 
printer  that  he  sometimes  occupied  the  editorial  chair. 

"  How  did  you  come  to  found  the  '  New  York  Ledger,' 
Mr.  Bonner  ?  "  I  asked. 

Mr.  Bonner's  bright  face  became  brighter  still  at 
mention  of  that  publication  with  which  his  name  and 
fame  are  inseparably  connected,  and  he  went  on  in  his 
plain,  unpretentious  way  to  tell  the  story  of  his  Aladdin- 
like  rise  to  wealth  through  the  novel  and  magnificent 
business  methods  which  he  introduced  in  the  manage- 
ment of  that  paper. 

"The  'New  York  Ledger/  was,  in  1850,  a  small  finan- 
cial sheet  known  as  the  <  Merchants'  Ledger.'  I  was  then 
employed  upon  it,  and  I  had  n't  been  there  long  when 
the  proprietor  wanted  to  sell,  and  I  bought  him  out.  I 
ran  the  paper  a  short  time  as  a  financial  paper,  and  then 
gradually  converted  it  into  a  family  journal. 

"  My  ideal  of  a  story,  first  of  all,"  he  continued,  "  was 
that  not  a  word  should  appear  in  it  that  would  cause  a 
mother  embarrassment  if  one  of  her  children  should 
stop  her  while  she  was  reading  and  ask,  '  Mamma,  what 
does  that  mean  ?  ' 

"  When  I  gradually  substituted  reading  matter  in  my 
journal,  its  circulation  was  increased,  and  I  was  very 
much  encouraged.  My  first  feat  of  enterprise  was  in 
1853,  when  I  engaged  Mrs.  Sigourney  to  contribute  a 


ROBERT  BONNER.  195 

poem  every  week,  which  she  continued  to  do  until  the 
day  of  her  death.  Two  years  later  I  engaged  Fanny  Fern. 

"She  was,  at  that  time,  by  far  the  most  popular 
woman  writer  of  the  day,  but  she  had  never  written  for 
the  press.  Her  latest  book  had  just  reached  an  enor- 
mous sale,  and  she  rather  looked  down  upon  newspaper 
work.  I  first  offered  her  twenty-five  dollars  a  column 
for  a  story.  She  refused  it.  I  wrote  her  again  and 
offered  fifty  dollars  a  column.  This  she  also  declined, 
but  the  return  mail  brought  her  another  offer  from  me 
of  seventy-five  dollars  a  column.  Upon  this  she  said  to 
a  friend,  l  I  like  the  spirit  of  that  man  Boriner,  and  I 
wish  you  would  go  down  and  see  him.7  Her  friend  came, 
and  I  arranged  to  give  her  a  thousand  dollars  for  a  ten- 
column  story.  The  story  was  published,  and  all  the 
newspapers  were  talking  of  my  unheard-of  extrava- 
gance in  paying  such  a  sum  for  a  story.  I  had  fifty 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  free  advertising  out  of  the 
arrangement,  and  people  began  to  ask  for  the  l  Ledger.7 
Before  that  I  had  trouble  to  get  the  newsdealers  to  take 
the  '  Ledger.'  Afterwards  they  were  very  glad  to  get  it." 

Mr.  Bonner  then  went  on  to  tell  of  his  dealings  with 
Henry  Ward  Beecher.  Mr.  Bonner  first  became  ac- 
quainted with  the  great  preacher  through  a  poem  which 
Mr.  Beecher  sent  to  the  "Ledger,"  in  behalf  of  a  friend. 
Mr.  Bonner  wrote  back  that  he  did  n't  want  poetry,  but 
would  be  glad  to  have  Mr.  Beecher  himself  write  some- 
thing for  the  paper.  "  I  offered  him  two  thousand  dollars 
a  year  for  a  half  to  three-quarters  of  a  column  every 
week.  He  accepted  the  offer,  and  from  that  time  until  his 
death  he  was  a  regular  contributor." 

"You  also  paid  him  thirty  thousand  dollars  for  his 
novel,  '  Norwood,'  did  you  not  ?  Was  n't  that  a  large 
price  for  a  novel  ?  " 


196  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

"  Yes,  I  paid  him  that,  but  it  was  a  good  business  ven- 
ture, for  the  whole  country  was  soon  talking  of  it,  and 
the  sale  of  the  '  Ledger '  was  wonderfully  increased. 

"I  also  paid  Edward  Everett  ten  thousand  dollars  for 
a  series  of  articles.  Mr.  Everett  was  then  at  the  height 
of  his  fame,  having  been  president  of  Harvard  college 
and  minister  to  England.  He  was  very  anxious  that 
Mount  Vernon  should  be  bought  and  preserved.  He  was 
lecturing  over  the  country  to  help  the  fund  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  I  told  him  that  if  he  would  write  me  the  arti- 
cles, I  would  give  ten  thousand  dollars  to  the  fund.  He 
accepted  the  offer,  and  the  <  Ledger '  was  again  the  most 
talked-of  paper  in  the  country,  and  added  tens  of  thou- 
sands to  its  already  great  list  of  readers." 

For  the  "  Ledger  "  Mr.  Bonner  secured  a  poem  from 
Longfellow,  a  novel  from  Dickens,  for  which  he  paid  five 
thousand  dollars,  and  a  poem  from  Tennyson.  They  made 
his  paper  read,  and  gave  his  readers  satisfaction  in  the 
value  of  what  they  read. 

Eobert  Bonner  never  claimed  or  received  all  the  credit 
due  to  him  for  his  remarkable  enterprise  in  advertising, 
His  manner  of  commending  the  "  Ledger"  to  the  people 
was  wholly  his  own.  When  he  startled  the  public  by  his 
extravagance  in  taking  columns  of  a  daily  journal,  or  one 
entire  side,  he  secured  the  end  he  had  in  view.  His 
method  of  repeating  three  or  four  lines,  such  as,  — 
"  Fanny  Fern  writes  only  for  the  '  Ledger/  "  —  or,  "  Read 
Mrs.  South  worth's  new  story  in  the  '  Ledger/7' — and 
this  repeated  over  and  over  again,  till  men  turned  from 
it  in  disgust,  and  did  not  conceal  their  ill-temper,  was  a 
system  of  itself.  "  What  is  the  use,"  said  a  man  to  Mr. 
Bonner,  "of  your  taking  the  whole  side  of  the  ' Herald/ 
and  repeating  that  statement  a  thousand  times  ? " 
"Would  you  have  asked  that  question/'  replied  Mr. 


ROBERT  BONNER.  197 

Bonner,  "  if  I  had  inserted  it  but  once  ?  I  put  it  in  to 
attract  your  attention,  and  make  you  ask  that  question." 

In  New  York  Mr.  Bonner  soon  conquered  his  way  to 
a  place  among  prominent,  leading,  and  successful  men. 
He  was  willing  to  dare ;  and  he  succeeded.  He  some- 
times put  up  every  dollar  he  had  in  bringing  his  enter- 
prises to  public  attention,  but  he  would  not  get  into  debt, 
and  always  refused  to  accept  credit. 

"  May  I  ask  you  when  you  began  to  save,  Mr.  Bonner, 
and  how  you  accumulated  your  first  hundred  dollars  ?  " 

"  I  always  saved  something,"  replied  Mr.  Bonner. 
"Even  when  I  was  making  only  thirty-five  and  forty 
dollars  a  year  I  managed  to  save  a  little.  I  never  ac- 
cumulated money  for  the  sake  of  getting  rich,  though.  I 
saved  because  I  knew  it  was  best  to  live  within  my  in- 
come, however  small,  and  have  something  laid  up  for  a 
rainy  day.  Don't  you  know  that  Dickens  makes  a  char- 
acter in  one  of  his  works  say  these  words,  or  something 
similar :  l  James  Smith  makes  a  hundred  pounds  a  year, 
and  he  spends  a  hundred  and  ten  pounds.  Result, — 
misery.  John  Jones  makes  a  hundred  pounds  a  year, 
and  spends  only  ninety.  Result,  — « happiness.'  Tf  a  man 
spends  more  than  he  makes  he  is  bound  to  be  miserable ; 
but  if  he  saves  something  he  will  have  a  feeling  of  con- 
tentment. 

"I  saved  my  first  hundred  dollars,  however,  after  I 
left  Hartford,  and  came  to  New  York  to  make  my  living. 
I  was  almost  of  age  before  I  began  depositing  in  a  bank. 
One  day  I  found  that  I  had  seventy  dollars  ahead,  and 
with  that  I  opened  an  account  in  the  Chambers  Street 
Savings  Bank.  I  kept  up  my  deposits  in  that  bank  until 
they  amounted  to  a  thousand  dollars  a  week.  One  day  I 
noticed  that  the  cashier  had  put  an  item  of  three  dollars 
and  some  cents  in  red  ink  below  my  last  deposit.  This 


198  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

was  my  first  interest.  e  Why/  said  I,  '  I  did  not  have  to 
work  for  that/  and  I  then  first  realized  that  money  would 
make  money.  It  seemed  wonderful  to  me." 

Mr.  Bonner's  charities  were  always  liberal,  practical, 
generous ;  putting  his  money  where  it  would  do  the  most 
good  to  his  fellowmen. 

THE    BONNER   HORSES. 

Mr.  Bonner  had  a  manly  love  for  fine  horses.  He  did 
not  love  them  as  a  gambler,  for  the  stakes,  for  he  never 
allowed  his  horses  to  race  for  money.  He  loved  them  as 
they  loved  horses  who  carved  them  on  the  friezes  of  the 
Parthenon.  His  first  horse  was  bought  as  a  remedy  for 
a  threatened  breakdown  of  health.  One  day,  in  1856, 
his  family  physician,  Doctor  Samuel  Hall,  said :  "  Rob- 
ert, I  've  bought  a  horse  for  you,  and  I  want  one  hundred 
dollars  to  pay  for  him  with.  That  horse  is  the  only  med- 
icine I  can  give  you.  Come  out  now  and  drive  him." 
That  was  the  beginning  of  a  horse  career  which  has  made 
Robert  Bonner  famous.  From  that  day  to  his  death  he 
owned  horses. 

Maud  S.  was  added  in  1880  by  purchase  from  William 
H.  Vanderbilt.  One  day  a  wealthy  horseman  called  to 
see  him. 

"  Bonner,"  said  he,  "  would  you  like  to  own  Maud 
S.?" 

"  Certainly,"  said  the  horse  lover. 

"  Well,  I  think  Vanderbilt  would  sell  her.  His  eye- 
sight is  giving  out,  and  he  can't  see  her  as  he  drives. 
He  does  n't  want  this  fact  known,  but  I  am  sure  you  can 
get  her  if  you  make  the  right  kind  of  an  offer." 

Maud  S.  had  then  made  a  record  of  2 : 11  j  and  had  done 
record-breaking  team  work,  including  the  pulling  of  a 
load  of  hay  in  team  harness,  in  which  she  had  "  pulled 


ROBERT  BONNER.  199 

the  whole  load."  Mr.  Vanderbilt  wished  to  dispose  of 
the  horse  to  Bonner  because  he  knew  the  latter  would 
use  her  well. 

After  the  purchase  Maud  S.  won  a  series  of  races,  or 
would  have  won  races,  but  Bonner  would  enter  her  in 
none  except  against  time.  But  she  made  record  runs. 
In  1881  she  did  her  mile  in  2 : 10J,  driven  by  W.  W. 
Blair,  who  had  driven  her  in  1880.  In  1884  she  reduced 
her  own  record,  no  horse  meanwhile  having  beaten  her, 
to  2 : 09f ,  and  in  1885  she  lowered  it,  driven  by  John 
Murphy,  to  2  :  08  j. 

Among  Mr.  Bonner' s  other  purchases  was  Sunol.  This 
horse  he  bought  of  Leland  Stanford  for  forty  thousand 
dollars,  upon  the  occasion  of  a  visit  to  the  Palo  Alto 
stables.  Stanford  loved  horses  as  well  as  Robert  Bonner, 
and  the  two  spent  days  in  the  stables. 

After  Bonner  had  paid  for  Sunol  he  discovered  that 
the  horse  was  lame.  "lam  going  to  cure  that  horse," 
said  he,  "  without  letting  Leland  Stanford  know.  If  I 
tell  him  he  will  send  me  back  my  check,  and  I  shall  be 
obliged  to  return  Sunol.  But  if  I  cure  the  horse  I  know 
I  shall  have  a  prize." 

Mr.  Bonner  went  to  work  upon  Sunol.  In  curing  this 
magnificent  animal  he  developed  the  veterinary  germ 
that  afterwards  made  him  the  leading  authority  upon 
horses.  Sunol  lived  to  run  many  a  race.  And  Bonner, 
in  curing  him,  learned  a  few  facts  that  other  horse-ex- 
perts did  not  know,  and  he  put  them  into  practice.  Since 
then,  hundreds  of  prominent  men  with  racing  horses 
have  called  upon  him,  bringing  limping  animals,  and 
have  taken  away  those  that  were  much  better,  and  would 
soon  recover. 

He  made  the  very  remarkable  yet  simple  discovery 
that  most  lame  feet  are  caused  by  the  uneven  paring  of 


200  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

the  horse's  hoofs  as  the  shoes  are  put  on.  The  horse  has 
to  walk  on  the  side  of  his  foot.  After  a  while,  the  foot 
becomes  lame,  the  knee  gets  twisted,  and  the  horse  is 
useless  for  service. 

Mr.  Bonner's  three  sons  took  the  "  Ledger  "  about  ten 
years  ago.  One  of  them  was  recently  asked  his  father's 
great  characteristic.  "  Great  power,"  he  replied,  "  of 
concentrating  his  whole  energy  upon  whatever  he  took 
in  hand  ;  ability  to  throw  his  whole  soul  into  any  enter- 
prise which  it  seemed  good  to  him  to  undertake." 


XXXII. 

KING  OF  THE   PENNY  PKESS. 


IT  is  doubtful  whether,  in  the  whole  history  of  jour- 
nalism, there  can  be  found  a  parallel  to  this  story  of  a 
young  man's  rise,  through  energy  and  native  ability,  which 
I  have  in  part  prepared  from  the  "  London  Bookman." 

Before  Alfred  Harmsworth  was  twenty-three  he  pub- 
lished his  first  periodical,  "  Answers,"  with  a  very  small 
capital.  Before  he  was  thirty  he  was  a  millionaire. 
Now  he  is  chief  proprietor  of  several  dailies,  and  twenty- 
two  periodicals,  and  head  of  the  largest  publishing  busi- 
ness in  the  world.  Every  journal  issued  has  been 
successful ;  not  one  has  been  discontinued.  The  Harms- 
worth  publications  have  the  largest  circulation  in  almost 
every  department  of  British  journalism,  including  morn- 
ing and  evening  dailies,  and  numerous  class  weeklies,  — 
such  as  women's  papers,  cycling  papers,  humorous  papers, 
and  boys'  papers.  The  total  weekly  output  exceeds  seven 
millions.  Of  the  "Daily  Mail"  nearly  four  hundred 
thousand  copies  are  sold  every  day,  and  the  circulation 
continues  to  increase  in  spite  of  the  struggles  of  its  older 
contemporaries  and  the  news-agents'  objection  to  half- 
penny papers. 

THE    HARMSWORTH    FRATERNITY. 

Alfred  Harmsworth  owns  rather  more  than  half  of  the 
entire  property.     Harold  Harmsworth  is  the  next  largest 

201 


202  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

shareholder ;  the  other  brothers  following  in  the  order  of 
their  age.  One  of  the  many  remarkable  features  of  the 
whole  undertaking  is  the  youthfulness  of  those  who  initi- 
ated and  conduct  it.  Alfred  Harmsworth  was  born  on 
July  15,  1865.  He  is  assisted  by  five  brothers :  Harold, 
business  manager ;  Cecil,  literary  editor ;  Leicester,  Al- 
fred's right-hand  man  in  the  editorial  department ;  Hilde- 
brand,  and  St.  John.  They  will  soon  be  joined  by  another 
brother,  Vyvyan  George.  Mr.  Harinsworth's  only  regret 
is  that  he  has  not  more  brothers.  The  average  age  of 
the  whole  staff,  excluding  small  boys,  is  twenty-three 
years. 

The  father  of  Harmsworth  was  a  successful  barrister ; 
his  mother  a  daughter  of  the  late  William  Maffett,  of 
Dublin,  in  which  county  Alfred  Harmsworth  was  born. 
He  was  educated  at  the  grammar  school,  Stamford,  Lin- 
colnshire, and  under  the  Rev.  J.  L.  Milne,  of  Streete 
Court,  West-gate-on-Sea.  His  parents  wished  him  to 
prepare  for  the  bar,  but  the  journalistic  instinct  asserted 
itself  too  strongly  to  be  resisted.  At  fifteen  he  edited  a 
school  paper,  and  at  seventeen,  after  a  holiday  scamper 
through  Europe,  he  entered  the  office  of  the  "  Illustrated 
London  News,"  as  editor  of  one  of  William  Ingram's 
publications.  He  has  done  practically  every  kind  of 
newspaper  work,  from  reporting  fires  and  police-court 
proceedings  up  to  writing  for  London  dailies.  At  twenty- 
one  he  married  Mary,  eldest  daughter  of  Robert  Milner, 
of  Kidlington,  Oxonia.  Mrs.  Harmsworth  writes  occa- 
sionally ;  for  some  time  she  helped  her  husband  in  his 
journalistic  work.  Her  literary  judgment  is  excellent. 

THE    HARMSWORTH    PERIODICALS. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  Harmsworth 
periodicals.  They  are  published  every  week,  with  one 


ALFRED  HARMS  WORTH.  203 

exception.  They  are  penny  or  half-penny  papers,  and 
have  been  established  within  ten  years  following  1888 : 
Answers,  Comic  Cuts,  Illustrated  Chips,  Forge  t-Me-Not, 
The  Funny  Wonder,  Home,  Sweet  Home,  Halfpenny 
Marvel,  Sunday  Companion,  Union  Jack,  Pluck  Library, 
Boys'  Friend,  Home  Chat,  Comic  Home  Journal,  Sunday 
Stories,  Home  Companion,  Fashion  Novelties,  Eambler, 
The  Cycle,  Heartsease  Library.  In  addition  to  this  list, 
complete  works,  "  Sixty  Years  a  Queen,"  and  "  Nelson 
and  his  Times,"  or  other  books,  are  occasionally  issued 
weekly  or  monthly. 

Always  a  hard  worker,  Alfred  Harmsworth  continues 
to  take  active  part  in  the  business  of  which  he  is  the 
head.  He  is  quick  and  facile,  and  bears  his  enormous 
responsibilities  lightly.  He  is  in  constant  communica- 
tion with  his  editors  and  principal  assistants.  Mr. 
Harmsworth  is  a  frequent  contributor  to  his  various  jour- 
nals, and  directs  the  policy  of  both  the  "  Daily  Mail " 
and  the  "  Evening  News."  He  and  his  brothers  have  the 
reins  of  their  business  well  in  hand,  and  allow  no  depart- 
ment in  any  of  their  publications  to  get  beyond  their 
reach. 

The  Harmsworths'  phenomenal  success  is  not  to  be 
explained  by  one  "  secret ;  "  there  are  many  contributing 
factors.  Perhaps  the  chief  are  the  brothers'  unanimity 
of  mind  and  affection,  and  their  knowledge  of  human 
nature.  They  not  only  know  exactly  what  the  public 
wants,  they  also  know  how  to  get  the  best  out  of  those 
who  can  supply  it.  Alfred  Harmsworth,  in  particular, 
has  studied  the  science  and  art  of  newspaper  and  periodi- 
cal production  in  all  parts  of  the  globe.  Every  new 
Harmsworth  venture  is  carefully  considered  beforehand ; 
when  necessary,  and  practicable,  experiments  are  made, 
and  every  conceivable  precaution  is  taken  against  failure. 


204  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

Undoubtedly,  the  system  of  profit-sharing  in  vogue  in 
the  Harmworth  establishments  has  greatly  contributed 
.to  their  prosperity.  Every  Friday  evening,  employers 
and  employed  meet  for  social  intercourse  and  recreation. 
Every  member  of  the  staff  is  welcome,  and  six  or  eight 
billiard  tables  are  provided.  The  employees  run  a  little 
weekly  illustrated  organ,  called  "The  Cue,"  for  their 
own  gratification  and  amusement. 

EVER   STRIVING    FOR   IMPROVEMENTS. 

» 

The  firm  is  always  striving  to  improve  its  mechanical 
equipment.  The  Messrs.  Harmsworth  have  scoured  the 
earth  in  search  of  the  latest  and  best  newspaper  appli- 
ances, and  their  agents  are  always  on  the  lookout  to  test 
the  newest  developments.  They  use  extensively  the 
Linotype  and  Empire  typesetting  machines,  finding  them 
a  great  improvement  on  hand-composition.  They  make 
their  own  printing  ink,  and  have  completed  arrangements 
by  which  they  can  manufacture  paper,  whenever  they 
wish  to  do  so.  Their  paper-pattern-cutting  department 
is  the  second  largest  in  the  kingdom. 

Although  Messrs.  Harmsworth's  machinery  scarcely 
ever  stops,  the  mechanical  difficulty  of  getting  done  rap- 
idly and  well  the  vast  amount  of  printing  necessary 
increases  from  week  to  week.  The  "Daily  Mail,"  for 
example,  is  printed  in  four  different  buildings,  requiring, 
for  its  production,  not  only  the  costly  and  up-to-date 
machinery  originally  provided  for  it,  but  also  all  the 
plant  of  the  " Evening  News"  and  the  "News  of  the 
World." 

RIGHT    IDEAS    OF   JOURNALISM. 

When  I  asked  Mr.  Harmsworth  to  mention  some  of 
the  essentials  of  success  in  journalism,  he  said: 


ALFRED  HARMSWORTH.  205 

"  I  believe  in  hard  work,  but  hard  work  is  not  enough. 
Many  people  work  with  their  eyes  on  the  ground.  I 
believe  in  travel.  Our  young  men  don't  go  abroad 
enough.  I  attribute  our  family  success  in  no  small  meas- 
ure to  the  fact  that  all  my  brothers  and  I  have  travelled 
extensively.  I  believe  that  half  the  journalistic  notions 
of  what  the  public  wants  to  read  are  wrong.  They  are 
largely  based  either  on  old-fashioned  tradition  or  upon 
the  journalist's  personal  tastes.  I  believe  the  public  is  a 
far  better  critic  than  is  usually  imagined.  And  I  do  not 
believe  that  any  amount  of  advertising  will  keep  up  a 
bad  thing.  The  public  does  not  care  one  iota  about  size ; 
if  anything,  a  small  journal  is  preferred  to  a  big  one.  It 
is  a  broad  principle  of  our  business  never  to  compete  in 
size  with  anybody.  More  money  has  been  lost  in  journal- 
ism on  the  theory  that  the  public  wants  bulk  than  on  any 
other  theory.  What  the  public  wants  is  quality,  char- 
acter, individuality. 

"I  think  specialization  is  already  and,  as  the  years 
pass,  will  become  more  and  more  the  keynote  of  success. 
The  world's  effective  workers  are  constantly  increasing 
in  number.  Competition  is  steadily  growing  keener. 
The  man  who  wins  recognition  in  this  twentieth  century 
will  have  to  do  some  one  thing  extremely  well.  If  I 
Avere  giving  just  one  word  of  advice  to  a  young  man  I 
should  say  —  concentrate. 

THE    CONCENTRATION    OF   ENERGY. 

"  As  for  myself,  I  feel  that  whatever  position  I  have 
attained  is  due  to  focusing  my  energies  and  time.  When 
I  went  into  journalism  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  would 
master  the  business  of  editing  and  publishing.  This  is 
a  vast  specialty,  but  then  I  was  very  young  and  had  a 
good  deal  of  self-confidence.  I  was  always  on  the  look- 


206  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

out  for  information,  and  when  I  was  twenty-one  I  pub- 
lished a  little  weekly  called  '  Answers.7  Its  purpose  was 
to  give  the  public  fresh  facts  and  knowledge  on  about 
every  subject  under  the  sun,  and  to  sugar-coat  the  pill  with 
light  and  entertaining  articles  and  stories.  To  the  form 
and  appearance  of  '  Answers/  I  gave  but  little  attention ; 
it  was  the  kernel  inside  the  shell  upon  which  I  concen- 
trated my  thoughts.  '  Answers'  gave  me  a  good  income 
from  the  start,  and  has  ever  since  been  one  of  my  most 
valuable  properties. 

"  We  are  glad  to  get  good  American  newspaper  men  in 
London.  They  are  quicker,  and  have  more  ideas  than 
their  English  brothers  of  the  pen.  My  greatest  difficulty 
is  to  get  men  with  new  and  practical  ideas,  or  with  the 
ability  to  give  a  new  turn  to  old  ones.  Not  one  man  in 
a  thousand  has  a  brain  of  this  kind,  but  it  is  more  fre- 
quent among  Americans  than  among  my  own  country- 
men. We  welcome  the  right  kind  of  Americans,  but  there 
is  a  wrong  kind,  which  we  certainly  do  not  want. 

"  To  speak  aside  from  journalism,  I  may  say  that  the 
Americans  who  are  in  most  demand  in  England  are 
mechanical  experts.  Except  in  ship-building,  we  recog- 
nize your  superiority  in  all  things  mechanical.  Good 
American  electrical  engineers,  for  example,  have  no  diffi- 
culty in  obtaining  excellent  positions  in  London.  In 
electric  transit  we  are  far  behind  you." 


XXXIII. 
JOSEPH  JEFFERSON'S   SIX  MAXIMS. 


JOSEPH  JEFFERSON  stands  in  high  regard  among  the 
people  of  the  United  States  ;  and  his  "  Six  Maxims  "  sug- 
gest that  one  element  of  his  strength,  and  of  the  strength 
of  men  like  him,  is  that  great  men  live  according  to  rule. 
To  live  by  method  implies  that  a  man  is  broadly  thought- 
ful of  life  and  its  conditions,  and  that  he  has  will,  con- 
sistency, and  character  to  conform  to  what  his  under- 
standing declares  to  be  desirable. 

Jefferson's  "  Six  Maxims  "  are  these : 

1.  The  surest  way  to  score  a  failure  is  to  imitate  some  one  else. 

2.  Never  act  to  or  at  your  auditors  ;  always  act  for  them. 

3.  Never  try  to  gauge  the  intelligence  of  your  audience  by  the 
price  of  the  seats. 

4.  Always  keep  the  promises  you  make  to  the  public. 

5.  Always  do  the  thing  you  can  do  best. 

6.  Never  allow  vulgarity  or  impurity  to  find  a  place  in  your 
performances. 

The  first  of  these  rules  corresponds  "to  the  highest  rule 
of  elocution  as  taught  in  our  "schools  of  expression/7 
which  is,  to  get  in  your  own  mind  and  heart  a  full  sense 
of  the  thought  or  feeling  to  be  uttered,  and  then  develop 
the  expression  of  it.  This  does  not  preclude  study  of 
models,  which  every  student  of  art  must  pursue  in  order 
to  be  successful. 

207 


TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 


DRILLING    HIS    SON    TOM. 

Jefferson  gives  an  interesting  illustration  of  what  he 
meant,  in  training  one  of  his  four  sons  to  play  "  Rip  Van 
Winkle." 

Mr.  Jefferson  took  greatest  interest,  perhaps,  in  pre- 
paring Tom  for  the  "  Rip  Van  Winkle  "  scene  in  which 
that  character  regains  consciousness  after  a  sleep  of 
twenty  years.  Just  before  the  first  rehearsal  the  older 
man  explained  his  plan  of  action. 

"  Now,  Tom,  I  will  lie  down  as  if  asleep,"  he  said,  in 
effect.  "Then  I  will  waken,  exactly  as  I  would  if  I 
were  performing  on  the  stage  of  a  crowded  theatre.  You 
must  watch  me  intently.  But  you  must  not  try  to  catch 
the  gestures  or  the  facial  changes.  Never  mind  the 
outer  man ;  it  is  the  inner  man  you  must  observe.  By 
that  I  mean  that  you  must  try  to  discover  the  workings 
of  my  mind.  For  when  I  begin  to  waken  as  '^Rip  Van 
Winkle '  I  strive  to  put  myself  in  the  mental  attitude 
that  would  have  been  his  on  recovering  himself  after 
half  a  lifetime's  slumber.  I  try  to  express  the  uncer- 
tainty, the  confusion,  the  hopes,  and  the  fears  that  would 
crowd  the  mind  of  a  person  passing  through  such  an  ex- 
traordinary experience. 

"  It  is  n't  necessary  that  your  interpretation  should  be 
outwardly  like  mine ;  in  fact,  I  should  be  extremely 
doubtful  of  your  success  if  it  were.  There  will  surely  be 
some  resemblance,  since  you  are  a  Jefferson  ;  and  so,  no 
matter  how  you  try  to  do  otherwise,  you  will  probably 
be  somewhat  imitative.  But  the  great  point  will  be  to 
express  properly  the  thoughts  and  emotions  of  the  wak- 
ening '  Rip  Van  Winkle '  in  your  own  way.  Never  mind 
just  how  you  do  this,  and  don't  try  to  produce  the  desired 
effects  in  the  same  way  every  time ;  the  thing  you  must 


JOSEPH  JEFFERSON.  209 

be  concerned  with  is  your  own  notion  of  the  part  and 
your  personal  feelings  when  you  are  playing  it. 

"  When  it  comes  to  your  turn  to  do  the  wakening  act 
I  will  watch  you  critically,  and  I  can  certainly  tell 
whether  you  have  succeeded  in  feeling  the  part  or  not." 

AN    IMPROMPTU    SUCCESS. 

These  six  rules  Jefferson  has  conformed  to,  and  to 
them,  doubtless,  in  addition  to  his  great  genius,  he  con- 
siders that  he  owes  his  success.  He  had  an  aptitude, 
however,  to  do  a  thing  impromptu,  when  the  time  de- 
manded. 

On  one  occasion,  he  achieved  a  degree  of  success  in  a 
bit  of  off-hand  acting,  which  he  could  not  reproduce  by 
later  studied  attempts.  He  was  playing  "  Mr.  Golightly," 
in  "  Lend  Me  Five  Shillings,"  his  son  Charles  B.  being 
also  in  the  cast.  In  that  play,  "  Mr.  Golightly  "  wears  a 
butterfly  necktie  fastened  to  the  collar  button  by  a  loop 
of  rubber  string.  One  night  the  loop  became  unbuttoned 
and  the  butterfly  fell  to  the  ground.  Jefferson  was  un- 
conscious of  the  mishap,  but  he  knew  something  had  hap- 
pened, for  scattered  auditors  were  laughing  all  over  the 
house  in  that  hesitating  way  which  shows  uncertainty  as 
to  whether  the  cause  of  the  laughter  is  designed  or  acci- 
dental. Charles  B.  saw  what  was  the  matter,  of  course, 
and  made  signs  which  conveyed  the  truth  to  his  father. 
When  he  understood  the  situation  a  complicated  and 
highly  comical  look,  expressing  surprise,  annoyance,  and 
relief,  passed  quickly  over  his  face.  At  sight  of  this  the 
audience,  assured  that  the  whole  thing  was  part  of  the 
"  business  "  and  so  legitimate  cause  for  laughter,  burst 
into  a  hearty  guffaw.  Jefferson  then  picked  up  the  tie 
and  buttoned  it  again  to  his  collar,  whereat  there  was 
more  laughter  and  a  round  of  applause. 


210  TALKS    WITH   GREAT   WORKERS. 

All  this  happened  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  write  it, 
and,  the  result  being  a  hit,  Jefferson  determined  to  intro- 
duce that  same  business  regularly  thereafter,  and  tried  it 
next  night.  But  it  was  not  in  any  sense  a  success.  It 
seemed  utterly  impossible  for  the  actor  to  counterfeit  the 
facial  expressions  of  perplexity  and  impatience,  followed 
by  whimsical  comprehension,  that  had  been  apparent 
when  the  business  was  really  an  accident,  and  it  had  to 
be  abandoned  before  the  week  was  over. 

RIP   VAN    WINKLE. 

It  is  said  that  it  is  one  of  the  traditions  of  the  Jeffer- 
son family  that  Boucicault  did  not  believe  a  phenomenally 
successful  piece  could  be  evolved  from  the  "Rip  Van 
Winkle"  idea.  This  view  of  the  situation  he  placed 
definitely  and  frankly  before  Mr.  Jefferson  when  asked 
to  begin  the  work.  When  the  piece  was  finished  the 
playwright  begged  the  actor  not  to  attempt  its  produc- 
tion. 

"  You  see,"  pleaded  Boucicault,  almost  in  tears,  "  the 
'  Kip  Van  Winkle '  of  the  play,  though  young  and  lusty 
in  the  first  act,  is  old,  gray-haired,  decrepit,  and  wrinkled 
later  on,  and,  in  fact,  through  all  the  best  part  of  the 
piece.  Now,  I  have  studied  the  preference  of  theatre- 
goers closely  enough  to  know  that  they  will  not  accept 
you  as  an  old  man,  and  I  am  sure  you  will  play  to  disas- 
ter whenever  you  attempt  that  part." 

But  this  sort  of  talk  did  not  shake  Jefferson's  faith, 
and  at  this  late  date  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that 
the  Boucicault  "  Eip  Van  Winkle,"  as  played  by  Joe  Jef- 
ferson, scored  an  immediate  and  profitable  triumph. 

Mr.  Jefferson's  personal  character  has  given  him  the 
confidence  of  the  American  public,  and  his  portrayal  of 
Irving's  sleeping  Dutchman  has  been  a  matchless  success. 


XXXIV. 

SECRET  OF  BOURKE  COCKRAN'S   SUCCESS  ON 
THE  PLATFORM  AND  AT   THE   BAR. 


NOT  very  many  years  ago  Bourke  Cockran,  the  famous 
speaker,  and  one  of  the  most  popular  orators  in  the 
country,  landed  in  New  York,  a  stranger,  with  only  one 
hundred  dollars  to  start  him  in  his  career.  He  was  a 
strong,  healthy  young  Irishman,  ambitious  to  be  some- 
body and  do  something,  and  willing  to  work  at  any  hon- 
orable business  until  able  to  gratify  his  higher  aims.  He 
was  well-educated,  and  of  marked  ability,  and  it  was  not 
his  habit  to  be  idle ;  so  he  secured  a  place  as  a  clerk  in 
A.  T.  Stewart's  store.  A  month  later  he  became  a  teacher 
at  a  public  school  on  Rutgers  street,  where  he  gave  in- 
struction in  French,  Latin,  and  history.  Then  he  ac- 
cepted an  appointment  as  principal  of  a  public  school. 
But  Bourke  Cockran  had  selected  for  his  life  work  the 
«tudy  and  practice  of  law.  All  his  evenings  and  spare 
moments  were  devoted  to  this,  which  at  once  absorbed 
his  whole  energy.  On  Saturdays  he  studied  law  in  the 
office  of  the  late  Chauncey  Schaffer.  At  length  he  gave 
up  his  place  as  principal,  and  for  nearly  a  year  lived  on 
his  savings,  and  studied.  In  1876  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  New  York.  He  was  always  possessed  of  a 
genial  nature  and  ready  wit,  and  made  friends  quickly 
wherever  he  went,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  young 
man  found  an  open  door  in  his  new  calling. 

211 


212  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 


HIS    EARLY    CAREER. 

The  beginner's  first  case  was  in  connection  with  the 
trial  of  five  men,  at  White  Plains,  who  were  arraigned 
for  selling  liquor  on  Sunday.  He  defended  four  of  them. 
Three  of  the  four  were  acquitted,  while  the  jurors  dis- 
agreed in  the  case  of  the  fourth.  Frank  Larkin,  of  Sing 
Sing,  who  was  then  the  leading  criminal  lawyer  of  West- 
chester  county,  defended  the  fifth,  and  lost  the  case. 

In  speaking  of  this,  his  first  success,  Mr.  Cockran 
described  it  as  "  a  combination  of  work  and  fortuity, 
though  a  favorable  circumstance.  Looking  back  on  it 
now,"  he  continued,  "it  seems  to  me  that  the  jurors  were 
more  or  less  affected  by  a  desire  to  encourage  a  young 
man  who  was  beginning.  If  that  was  their  feeling  it 
certainly  produced  the  desired  result.  Of  course  that 
trial  gave  me  a  confidence  in  myself  that  was  of  incal- 
culable benefit." 

His  rise,  thenceforth,  was  rapid.  Establishing  himself 
as  a  lawyer  in  New  York  City,  where  he  had  thousands 
of  competitors,  he  was  soon  known  as  a  man  of  great 
ability  as  an  advocate,  and  of  supreme  eloquence  as  a 
speaker.  It  was  only  a  short  time  before  his  practice 
was  large  and  profitable,  for  he  seldom,  if  ever,  lost  a 
case,  and  his  faculty  of  speech,  combined  with  his  thor* 
ough  study  and  knowledge  of  law,  enabled  him  to  make 
irresistible  arguments  in  court.  He  gradually  took  a 
foremost  place  among  the  great  lawyers  of  the  metropo- 
lis, and  his  fame  as  an  orator  spread  throughout  the 
nation. 

I  asked  Mr.  Cockran  to  tell  me  something  about  his 
work,  and  the  way  in  which  he  managed  to  achieve  such 
immediate  success. 


BOURKE  COCKRAN.  213 


SUCCESS   THE   RESULT   OF    WORK. 

"You  are  asking  me  a  question,"  he  replied,  "that 
has  been  presented  to  me  time  and  again,  and  one  which 
I  have  never  yet  been  able  to  answer  satisfactorily.  I 
think  most  men  are  more  successful  than  they  deserve 
to  be.  So  far  as  I  am  concerned,  that  is  certainly  true. 
Generally  speaking,  however,  success  is  the  result,  and 
the  laudable  result,  of  absorption  in  your  work. 

"  No  truly  ambitious  young  man  will  mind  working  to 
achieve  his  ambition.  If  I  see  a  boy  dissatisfied  at  hav- 
ing to  wait  and  study  before  beginning  active  work,  I 
make  up  my  mind  at  once  that  that  boy  will  not  succeed 
when  at  length  he  does  get  started.  Patience  and  ardu- 
ous preparation  are  necessary  to  success. 

"  I  believe  a  man  can  qualify  himself  for  any  calling, 
and  will  be  recognized.  There  are  too  many  eyes  on  the 
lookout  for  him  to  remain  undiscovered.  There  are 
thousands  this  moment  seeking  qualified  lawyers,  doc- 
tors, bricklayers,  pavers,  drivers,  and  day  laborers. 
Employers  are  as  anxious  to  get  good  service  as  workers 
to  obtain  good  employment. 

"  The  passport  to  success  is  merit ;  and,  in  my  judg- 
ment, there  is  no  other.  You  can  give  a  young  man  but 
very  little  real  assistance  toward  the  goal  of  his  ambi- 
tion. If  he  is  in  earnest,  is  persistent,  is  self-reliant,  he 
will  succeed  by  his  own  merit,  whether  you  assist  him  or 
not." 

ORATORY    A    NATURAL    GIFT. 

"  I  suppose  you  had  no  training  in  oratory,  Mr. 
Cockran  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  can  hardly  say  that  I  had.  I  think  that  is 
one  gift  that  comes  more  naturally  to  a  man  than  any 
other.  I  seldom  write  an  address  before  delivering  it ; 


214  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

though,  when  I  have  time,  I  prepare  my  speeches  very 
carefully.  I  think  them  out  very  thoroughly  before- 
hand, and  then  depend  largely  upon  the  inspiration  of 
the  moment  for  expression.  That  is  the  only  way  to 
produce  an  effect  upon  an  audience.  Let  a  man  know 
what  he  wants  to  say,  let  him  plan  it  out  carefully  be- 
forehand, and  go  before  his  audience  with  plenty  of 
words  at  his  command,  and  the  inspiration  of  the  mo- 
ment will  tell  what  is  the  proper  and  telling  form  of 
expression.  I  am  always  unconscious  of  everything  but 
my  subject,  whenever  I  produce  any  good  effect.  Every- 
thing else  sinks  out  of  sight,  and  I  think  only  of  my 
topic  and  what  I  want  to  say. 

A   SPEAKER    MUST    KNOW    HIS    AUDIENCE. 

"An  audience  must  become  one  great  mass  to  me 
before  I  feel  that  I  am  expressing  myself  forcibly.  If 
I  can  distinguish  any  one  face  I  always  fail  to  do  any- 
thing worth  mentioning.  Unless  I  lose  all  conscious- 
ness of  individuals,  unless  my  audience  becomes  one 
being,  as  it  were,  which  I  see  in  a  hazy  way,  and  with 
which  I  talk  as  I  would  face  to  face  with  a  friend,  I  can 
do  nothing.  Everything  depends  upon  the  circumstance 
of  the  moment,  in  making  a  speech,  and  how  I  feel,  and 
how  the  audience  feels  ;  and  when  a  speaker  is  unable  to 
read  his  auditors,  he  isn't  likely  to  be  successful.  A 
speaker  must  know  his  audience ;  he  must  play  upon 
it  as  one  plays  upon  an  instrument.  He  must  know  just 
how  his  hearers  feel  at  each  moment.  How  a  speaker 
knows  this  I  cannot  tell.  It  is  simply  a  feeling  that 
comes  —  somehow.  In  this  way  he  can  tell  when  his 
audience  is  no  longer  interested,  long  before  there  are 
any  signs  of  it  apparent  to  others  ;  long  before  the  mov- 
ing and  noise  begin.  There  is  some  sign,  some  indescrib- 


BOURKE  COCKRAN.  215 

able  feeling,  that  warns  him.  It  is  a  part  of  a  speaker's 
art,  given  to  him  by  nature." 

"  Mr.  Cockran,"  I  asked,  "  in  preparing  a  speech  do 
you  make  notes  ?  " 

"  Yes,  occasionally ;  it  is  important  to  get  an  outline 
—  the  principal  points  impressed  indelibly  upon  your 
mind,  so  that  they  are  on  the  tip  of  your  tongue.  That 
is  particularly  necessary,  when  you  have  the  platform 
to  yourself,  have  no  interruptions,  and  have  no  oppor- 
tunity for  a  cue.  But  in  debate  it  is  a  bad  plan  to  have 
a  speech  prepared,  though  you  should  be  conversant  with 
the  subject.  You  must  speak  on  whatever  point  the 
debate  turns  upon.  If  you  do  not  you  are  hopelessly 
lost.  People  do  not  want  irrelevant  remarks,  entirely 
foreign  to  the  topic  under  discussion. 

"I  will  not  say,"  added  Mr.  Cockran,  in  reply  to  a 
question  as  to  his  success,  "  that  I  have  succeeded ;  but 
that  I  have  been  more  successful  than  I  deserved  to  be." 


XXXV. 

FKOM  LOG  CABIN  TO  SENATE. 


ALBERT  G.  BEVERIDGE,  United  States  Senator  from 
Indiana,  was  born  Oct.  6,  1862,  in  a  log  cabin  in  High- 
land County,  Ohio.  His  parents  were  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, and  were  in  only  ordinary  circumstances  when  the 
war  broke  out.  His  father,  and  his  four  half-brothers, 
enlisted.  His  mother  was  a  volunteer  nurse.  The  war 
worked  the  financial  ruin  of  the  family  ;  and  as  soon  as 
it  was  over  they  moved  to  Illinois,  settling  near  Sullivan 
as  tenants.  From  the  first  young  Beveridge  was  called 
upon  to  perform  such  labors  on  the  farm  as  his  age  would 
permit.  At  ten  he  worked  in  every  field,  except  one,  sur- 
rounding Sullivan.  At  fourteen  he  was  a  railroad  laborer, 
and  at  sixteen  he  went  into  the  logging-camps,  where 
he  was  placed  in  charge  of  rough  men,  getting  out  walnut 
logs,  for  which  Illinois  was  then  famous.  He  attended 
school  only  when  he  could  find  no  work.  Aspirations  for 
something  better  were  born  early,  and  he  began  to  thirst 
for  education. 

FAITHFUL    IN    WORK,    DILIGENT    IN    STUDY. 

In  the  logging-camps  he  had  to  be  content  with  two  or 
three  months'  schooling  a  year.  Instead  of  wasting  his 
evenings,  he  spent  them  in  study.  When  he  was  seven- 
teen years  of  age  there  was  a  vacancy  in  the  district 

216 


SENATOR   BEVERIDGE.  217 

cadetship  at  West  Point,  and  the  congressman  announced 
that  the  place  would  be  filled  by  competitive  examina- 
tion. Beveridge  increased  his  night  hours  of  study,  asked 
one  day  off,  rode  to  Paris,  and  passed  the  examination. 
In  a  list  of  twenty-five,  most  of  whom  were  trained  in 
city  schools,  he  took  second  place.  He  was  at  work  the 
next  morning  and  studying  the  next  evening. 

The  ambition  of  the  log-roller  attracted  the  attention 
of  Edward  Anderson,  a  lumberman  who,  in  1881,  ad- 
vanced him  fifty  dollars  with  which  to  enter  college. 
With  this  amount  he  stepped  from  the  life  of  a  logger 
to  that  of  a  student,  entering  De  Pauw  University.  He 
served  as  a  steward  in  a  college  club,  and  added  to  his 
original  fund  of  fifty  dollars  by  taking  the  freshman  essay 
prize  of  twenty-five  dollars.  In  the  summer  he  returned 
to  work  in  Moultrie  County  harvest  fields  and  broke  the 
wheat-cutting  records  of  the  country.  He  carried  his 
books  with  him  morning,  noon,  and  night,  and  studied 
persistently.  When  he  returned  to  college  he  began  to 
be  recognized  as  an  exceptional  man.  He  had  shaped  his 
course  and  worked  to  it. 

HE    ENTERED    EVERY    COMPETITIVE    CONTEST. 

While  he  attended  to  the  duties  which  fell  to  him  as 
steward  of  a  club,  he  lost  no  time.  He  tried  to  win  every 
prize  offered  for  competitive  effort,  and  he  won  enough 
money  prizes  to  pay  his  college  expenses  for  two  years. 
His  triumphs  in  college  reached  their  limit  when  he  won 
the  State  oratorical  contest  in  1884 ;  and  also  the  inter- 
state competition  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  he  met  the 
champions  of  all  the  Mississippi  valley  State  associations. 
Beveridge  was  a  great  social  favorite  in  college,  but  all 
understood  that,  if  he  had  lessons  un mastered,  or  was  at 
work  on  any  theme  or  task,  he  could  not  be  drawn  away 


218  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

from  his  room.  It  was  this  uncompromising  rule  of  never 
sacrificing  labor  for  pleasure  —  together  with  always  aim 
ing  for  the  highest,  and  never  knowing  the  meaning  of 
the  word  "  discouragement "  —  that  has  predominated  in 
his  life. 

His  plan  of  aiming  at  the  highest  pinnacle  was  forci- 
bly demonstrated  when  he  sought  a  location  to  practise 
law.  Instead  of  following  the  example  of  fellow-students 
in  settling  in  a  small  town,  he  went  directly  to  Indianap- 
olis, where  competition  was  the  strongest  and  where  the 
reward  was  greatest.  Instead  'of  applying  for  office  in- 
struction under  men  of  smaller  calibre,  he  went  directly 
to  Gen.  Benjamin  Harrison  and  asked  to  study  with 
him.  Failing  in  this,  he  obtained  employment  with  Mc- 
Donald, Butler,  and  Mason,  who  shared  prestige  with 
Harrison.  When  he  arrived  in  Indianapolis  he  wore  a 
silk  hat  and  a  Prince  Albert  coat.  He  believed  the  the- 
ory that,  after  all  said  to  the  contrary,  the  coat  has  some- 
thing to  do  with  the  man.  Though  during  his  early 
years  he  often  had  but  one  meal  a  day  he  always  wore 
good  clothes  and  was  dignified.  He  soon  became  an 
acting  third  partner,  and  in  1886  was  an  opponent  of 
General  Harrison  in  a  case  at  issue.  In  1889  he  opened 
an  office  of  his  own,  and  his  first  fee  was  from  Governor 
Hovey. 

ORATORICAL    POWER. 

Mr.  Beveridge's  speech-making  career  began  in  the 
campaign  of  1884,  his  first  meeting  being  in  a  black- 
smith shop.  It  is  claimed  he  has  made  more  speeches 
in  Indiana  in  the  last  twelve  years  than  any  other  man. 
His  second  engagement  was  attended  with  an  incident 
which  brought  out  many  points  of  character  and  did 
much  in  advancing  him.  It  was  his  first  important 


SENATOR  BEVERIDGE.  219 

speech.  He  was  advertised  by  the  Republicans  of 
Bloomington  as  "  Hon.  A.  J.  Beveridge,  of  Illinois,"  and 
the  people  from  far  and  near  congregated,  expecting  to 
hear  Governor  Beveridge  of  Illinois,  —  who,  by  the  way, 
was  not  related  to  young  Beveridge.  When  the  com- 
mittee saw  a  student  of  twenty-two  step  from  the  train 
and  answer  to  the  mighty  name  of  Beveridge  there 
was  a  general  impression  that  the  State  committee  had 
deceived  them.  Many  of  the  farmers  went  home  in  dis- 
gust. Beveridge  hurried  to  the  platform.  "  He  was  a 
revelation  —  a  dream  of  oratory  and  a  trip-hammer  of 
argument." 

The  crowd  stood  spellbound  three  hours,  charmed  by 
such  speaking  as  they  had  never  heard  before.  He  said 
afterwards  that  a  failure  on  that  occasion  would  have 
checked  him  for  many  months,  and  his  determination  to 
carry  his  point  made  him  a  victor  under  most  discourag- 
ing conditions.  Slowly  his  name  passed  up  and  down 
Indiana,  and  then  spread  beyond  the  State  boundary 
lines.  In  1893  the  Union  League  Club  of  Chicago  se- 
lected him  to  respond  at  their  Washington's  Birthday 
banquet  to  the  toast  "Washington  as  a  Patriot."  He 
electrified  them.  Since  then  he  has  been  in  demand  in 
Chicago.  In  1896  he  was  selected  to  close  the  national 
Republican  campaign  with  a  speech  in  the  Chicago 
Auditorium,  replying  to  Altgeld's  address  delivered  at 
Cooper  Institute,  New  York. 

ENERGY    THE    KEYNOTE    OF    SUCCESS. 

"  If  I  were  to  select  the  prime  requisites  for  success," 
says  Mr.  Beveridge,  "  I  would  say,  first  of  all,  energy. 
But  equally  necessary  as  energy  are  concentration  and 
determination.  Shielded  from  the  wind  and  hitting  in 
the  same  place  every  time,  little  drops  of  water  will 


220  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

wear  a  hole  into  the  living  rock.  But  if  the  wind  blows 
them  here  and  there  over  a  small  surface  they  have  little 
effect.  Thus  with  a  man's  energies  —  let  them  be  con- 
centrated and  persistent.  Hard  study  and  hard  work 
never  injure;  no  standard  is  too  lofty.  But  once  having 
selected  your  pinnacle,  no  matter  how  difficult  the  way, 
never,  never  rest  until  you  have  reached  it." 


XXXVI. 

ARTISTIC    FAME    IN    A    DAY  — AFTER    LONG 
YEARS   OF  PREPARATION. 


PAUL  WEYLAND  BARTLETT  is  a  young  man,  full  of 
enthusiasm,  who  distinguished  himself  in  Paris,  but  it 
was  only  after  the  most  toilsome  effort. 

Any  one  who  exhibits  at  the  Salon  does  so  with  hun- 
dreds of  others,  and,  however  admirable  a  piece  of  sculpt- 
ure may  be,  it  is  very  apt  to  rest  unnoticed  among  the 
vast  collection  of  clays,  marbles,  and  bronzes  shown  at 
each  exhibition.  Mr.  Bartlett  realized  this.  His  work 
might  be  good,  but  what  of  it  ?  Paris  was  filled  with 
artists  of  talent.  If  he  exhibited  one  large  piece,  he 
courted  failure,  however  undeserved.  He  studied  to 
avoid  this.  He  would  not  exhibit  one,  but  would  display 
hundreds  of  pieces  of  sculpture.  But  the  Salon  would 
not  admit  more  than  two  pieces  of  sculpture  by  one 
artist. 

It  was  different  with  small  bronzes.  If  each  piece  of 
sculpture  were  no  bigger  than  his  hand,  or,  at  most,  his 
two  hands,  he  could  put  a  hundred  in  a  glass  case  or 
two,  and  the  cases  would  be  admitted  and  exhibited. 
This  he  knew.  At  once  he  decided  to  take  advantage  of 
it.  It  meant  ever  so  much  more  work,  for  it  is  nearly  as 
difficult  to  model  a  small  design  in  clay  as  it  is  a  large  one, 
but  he  would  gain  in  attention  and  criticism.  He  toiled 

221 


222  TALKS   WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

devotedly  until  he  had  made  over  a  hundred  models,  — 
perfect,  inspiring  designs  of  historic  characters,  —  ani- 
mals, insects ;  in  short,  a  small  museum  of  sculptured 
curiosities.  These  he  decided  to  send,  but  he  was  not 
yet  satisfied.  He  knew  from  long  years  of  apprentice- 
ship in  a  bronze-casting  foundry  how  to  cast  in  bronze. 
The  expense  of  careful  work  of  this  kind  is  considerable, 
and  as  he  was  not  wealthy,  he  could  not  think  of  paying 
for  having  his  splendid  collection  so  cast.  Still,  he 
wanted  to  exhibit  bronzes,  and  decided  to  cast  his  work 
himself.  He  secured  the  privilege  from  the  founder 
with  whom  he  had  been  apprenticed  of  working  in  the 
shops.  With  his  own  hands  he  made  the  molds  for  his 
statuettes,  and  cast  them  in  bronze,  firing  them  in  such 
a  way  as  to  give  them  all  the  rare  hues  shown  in  the 
finest  examples  of  bronzes  handed  down  from  the  Greek 
and  Koman  period.  These  he  displayed  in  his  case,  and 
had  it  admitted  to  the  Salon.  Then  he  awaited  the  ver- 
dict. The  case  containing  his  exquisite  bronzes  was  the 
talk  of  the  exhibition.  Hundreds  stopped  to  admire  the 
number  of  delicate  and  perfect  representations  and  the 
beautiful  coloring.  Parisian  artists  examined  and  ques- 
tioned and  gesticulated  before  the  case.  This  set  the 
critics  to  examining,  and  they  made  the  artist  celebrated. 
Mr.  Bartlett  found  himself  famous  in  a  day,  the  papers 
said ;  but  he  knew  better.  After  years  of  preparation, 
and  months  and  months  of  particular  and  painstaking 
toil,  recognition  came  to  him. 

Mr.  Bartlett  had  done  good  work  before  this.  Indeed, 
he  had  considerable  standing  as  a  sculptor,  but  it  had 
not  crystallized  into  that  thing  called  fame  until  this 
bright  idea  was  carried  out.  He  went  to  Paris  in  early 
life  and  worked  quietly  for  many  years,  and  then,  in 
1889,  exhibited  some  "  Dancing  Indians  "  and  "  Dancing 


PAUL    WETLAND  BARTLETT.  223 

Bears/'  which  won  for  him  a  gold  medal,  and  brought 
him  into  notice.  He  revisited  the  United  States  then, 
and  had  virtually  decided  to  stay,  when  he  found,  after 
he  had  accepted  some  American  contracts,  that  he  could 
work  better  in  Europe.  He  therefore  determined  to  fill 
his  American  orders  in  a  Parisian  studio. 

One  order  was  from  the  United  States  government, 
for  three  statues  for  the  new  Congressional  Library,  — 
one  of  Galileo,  one  of  Columbus,  and  the  third  of  Michael 
Angelo.  These  statues  were  made  in  Paris,  but  the 
young  sculptor  respected  American  sentiment  in  the 
matter ;  and  so,  in  1S'97,  he  shipped  a  plaster  cast  of 
Columbus  to  New  York,  to  be  cast  in  bronze,  although  it 
could  have  been  much  more  cheaply  cast  on  the  other  side. 
It  was  the  first  ever  shipped  across  the  Atlantic  to  be 
cast  in  America. 

The  third  statue  of  the  series,  Michael  Angelo,  was 
also  modelled  in  Paris  and  shipped  to  this  country,  where 
it  was  cast.  These  brought  to  Mr.  Bartlett  much  favor- 
able comment  and  praise. 

The  Columbus  is  a  colossal  figure,  with  power  ex- 
pressed in  every  line  of  the  face  and  every  fold  of  the 
cloak.  It  is  one  of  the  most  commanding  works  pro- 
duced in  late  years. 

At  present,  Mr.  Bartlett  is  in  New  York,  and  has 
decided  to  stay  in  America.  He  has  taken  a  large 
studio,  and  accepted  several  American  contracts,  which 
he  purposes  to  execute  here.  No  one  has  a  greater 
knowledge  of  bronze  and  bronze-casting  than  this  young 
man,  and  he  has  the  advantage  of  being  a  tireless  worker. 
He  steers  clear  of  specialties,  that  dangerous  rock  on 
which  so  much  talent  has  foundered,  and  is  as  brilliant 
in  his  execution  of  a  "  Torso  of  a  Girl,"  or  of  a  "  Dead 
Lion,"  as  he  is  in  his  historical  figures.  His  poetical 


224  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

organization  and  delicate  touch  are  also  exemplified  in  a 
door  of  a  mausoleum,  which  he  recently  completed,  and 
which  now  stands  in  Woodlawn  Cemetery,  wherein  the 
ethereal  form  of  a  woman  stands  surrounded  by  poppies 
and  leaves.  He  has  also  done  a  figure  of  a  man  bent 
with  grief,  which  is  particularly  fine.  The  muscles  on  the 
back  and  arms  stand  out  with  all  the  force  of  some  great 
passionate  grief  that  overpowers  him.  His  equestrian 
statue  of  General  Hooker  has  attracted  great  attention. 
Mr.  Bartlett  is  only  thirty-five  years  of  age,  but  his 
talent  is  mature,  and  of  all  the  younger  sculptors,  cer- 
tainly no  one  has  exhibited  more  evidence  of  genius. 


DANIEL   C.    FRENCH. 


XXXVII. 

INSPIRATION  OF  THE   SCULPTOR'S  ART: 

THE    CHARM    OF     GOOD   WORK;     UNHASTING, 
UNRESTING. 


No  American  sculptor  is  better  known  than  Daniel  C. 
French.  His  work,  in  conjunction  with  Edward  C. 
Potter,  at  the  World's  Fair,  in  Chicago,  made  these  two 
great  artists  famous  in  both  hemispheres.  The  magnifi- 
cent statue  of  "The  Republic,"  worthy  of  its  mighty 
subject,  evoked  the  admiration  of  every  visitor  to  the  ex- 
hibition, and  the  figure  of  the  farmer  leaning  against  his 
horse  attracted  general  praise.  The  Grant  statue,  re- 
cently unveiled  in  Philadelphia,  shows  that  Messrs. 
French  and  Potter  continue  to  worthily  represent  the 
highest  type  of  American  art. 

I  found  Mr.  French  a  courteous,  unassuming  gentle- 
man, wrapped  up  in  his  work,  yet  in  keen  sympathy 
with  the  outside  world. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  in  answer  to  my  opening  remark,  "  I 
am  always  busy,  and  work  hard.  Many  people  have  an 
idea  that  a  painter  or  a  sculptor  does  a  little  work  now 
and  then,  when  in  the  humor,  or  when  under  an  inspira- 
tion," and  he  laughed.  "  We  have  to  work  as  hard  as 
any  one  else  if  we  wish  to  accomplish  anything." 

"  But  are  there  not  times  when  you  work  harder  than 
at  others  ?  " 

225 


226  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

"  Yes,  that  might  be  called  inspiration.  Most  of  my 
World's  Fair  work  was  done  in  one-eighth  of  the  time 
that  I  usually  allow,  and  perhaps  it  was  some  of  my 
best.  When  Mr.  Potter  and  myself  work  together  he 
attends  to  the  animal  and  I  to  the  human  figures.  We 
both  adhere  to  our  own  parts,  although  we  may  criticise 
each  other's  labors.  My  statue  called  '  The  Republic ' 
was  a  tremendous  piece  of  work.  The  model  you  will 
see  at  the  fountain  in  the  Siege  1-Cooper  Company's  store. 
It  had  to  be  enlarged  many  times.  It  was  enlarged  in 
Chicago,  by  measurement,  under  my  immediate  super- 
vision, but  the  head,  which  was  as  high  as  this  room,  I 
did  myself,  fearful  of  even  allowing  it  to  be  touched  by 
others." 

"  Did  you  have  to  fight  your  way  in  the  world  at  first, 
Mr.  French,  before  you  were  recognized  ?  "  I  asked. 

"No,  I  can  give  you  no  tale  of  poverty,"  he  said, 
smiling,  "although,  like  everyone  else,  I  have  had  to 
work  for  recognition.  My  father  was  a  judge,  and  well- 
to-do.  I  was  born  in  Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  forty-nine 
years  ago.  We  moved  to  Concord,  Massachusetts,  Emer- 
son's town,  and  it  was  there  that  my  talent,  if  you  are 
pleased  to  call  it  so,  was  discovered  by  accident.  I  was 
always  fond  of  making  snow  images,  and  of  cutting  fig- 
ures out  of  wood,  and  did  a  little  drawing.  Miss  Alcott, 
sister  of  the  writer,  was  a  sculptor  herself,  and  noticed 
my  bent,  particularly  my  carving  of  figures  out  of  wood. 
She  offered  to  take  me  in  hand,  and  my  rapid  progress 
seemed  to  warrant  her  confidence  in  me.  My  first  work 
was  a  bust  of  my  father.  The  family  thought  it  some- 
thing wonderful  and  hailed  me  as  a  prodigy.  It  was  a 
likeness,  but  really  nothing  to  speak  of.  That  was  when 
I  was  eighteen  years  old. 

"  In  those   days,"   continued   Mr.    French,   becoming 


DANIEL    C.    FRENCH.  227 

reminiscent,  "  there  were  no  studios  in  Boston  where  one 
could  study  sculpture.  Dr.  William  Rimmer  taught 
artistic  anatomy,  and  to  him  I  went.  I  have  always  felt 
that  I  owe  more  to  him  than  to  any  other  man,  so  far  as 
my  art  is  concerned." 

" And  then?" 

"  I  came  to  New  York  and  attended  the  studio  of  John 
Quiucy  Adams  Ward.  I  was  then  nearly  twenty." 

When  Mr.  French  went  back  to  Concord,  Mass.,  he 
produced  the  "  Minute  Man."  At  first  it  was  only  a 
small  model,  and  was  exhibited  in  the  town  hall.  But 
it  drew  attention  and  admiration.  The  anniversary 
of  the  battle  of  Lexington  was  at  hand,  and  the  young 
man  was  surprised  by  an  order  to  make  a  statue  after 
the  model.  In  speaking  of  this  Mr.  French  said : 

"  I  do  not  see  how  I  did  it.  It  must  have  been  purely  a 
work  of  inspiration,  for  I  was  still  young  in  my  art  as  well 
as  in  years,  yet  I  consider  it  the  best  thing  I  ever  did." 

He  spoke  with  such  feeling  that  I  was  inclined  to  ask 
if,  after  a  statue  was  completed,  he  did  not  feel  that  it 
was  almost  human,  "  a  child  of  his  brain,"  and  if  he  did 
not  become  loath  to  part  with  it. 

" Sometimes,"  was  the  answer,  "but  not  always.  In 
most  cases  I  become  so  weary  with  many  weeks  and 
months  of  work  that  I  am  glad  when  it  is  finished  and 
out  of  the  way.  On  the  other  hand,  one  becomes  very 
much  attached  to  work  into  which  he  puts  real  thought." 

In  1875  Mr.  French  went  abroad  and  studied  in  the 
studio  of  Thomas  Ball,  in  Florence. 

"I  remained  there  till  1876,"  said  Mr.  French,  "but 
did  not  work  hard  or  accomplish  much." 

Mr.  French  next  moved  to  Washington  and  opened  a 
studio.  He  did  much  to  beautify  buildings  at  the  capi- 
tal, and  executed  groups  for  the  custom-house  at  St. 


228  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

Louis,  and  for  the  post-office  in  Philadelphia.  The  young 
man's  reputation  was  rising,  and  in  1882  he  completed 
his  statue  of  John  Harvard,  erected  in  Cambridge. 

"  You  know,"  he  said,  "  I  had  nothing  but  my  imagina- 
tion to  go  by.  There  were  no  likenesses  of  any  kind. 
There  was  not  a  silhouette,  a  sketch,  or  a  drawing.  But 
I  knew  that  in  Harvard's  day  they  had  long  hair,  and 
that  they  wore  an  insignificant  mustache  and  lip  goatee, 
so  I  gave  him  those.  I  also  knew  that  he  died  of  con- 
sumption, so  I  made  him  look  delicate.  He  was  a 
scholar  or  student,  so  I  gave  him  an  intellectual  face.  In 
England,  after  the  statue  was  erected,  they  made  vain 
efforts  to  find  an  old  portrait ;  but  my  version  of  John 
Harvard  remains  undisputed." 

"  Have  you  made  a  study  of  physiognomy  ?  " 

"No,  I  do  not  believe  in  it,  except  as  to  some  recog- 
nized points,"  he  replied.  u  I  have  seen  so  many  great 
faces  that  were  disappointing. 

"  We  often  have  to  break  away  from  the  rules  of  anat- 
omy," continued  Mr.  French,  "  and  make  a  statue  really 
out  of  proportion,  to  give  the  desired  effect.  You  know 
that  one  leg  of  the  Apollo  Belvedere  is  two  inches  longer 
than  the  other.  You  would  never  notice  the  fact  unless 
your  attention  was  drawn  to  it.  If  I  thought  I  could 
improve  an  arm  as  to  general  appearance  by  lengthening 
or  shortening  it,  I  would  not  hesitate  a  minute." 

Mr.  French's  house  is  connected  with  his  studio.  The 
latter  is  in  the  rear,  taking  up  two  stories.  The  walls 
are  covered  with  plaster  casts,  and  the  studio  is  filled 
with  finished  and  unfinished  busts  and  statues,  step- 
ladders  and  pedestals. 

I  spoke  of  the  equestrian  statue  of  General  Grant, 
recently  unveiled  in  Philadelphia. 

"  Edward  C.  Potter,  who  once  studied  under  me,"  said 


DANIEL   C.   FRENCH.  229 

Mr.  French,  "  made  the  horse,  while  I  did  the  rider.  At 
an  early  date  an  equestrian  statue  of  George  Washington 
which  we  have  made  will  be  unveiled  in  Paris. 

"  Mr.  Potter,  I  would  like  to  say,  first  studied  at  the 
Museum  of  Art,  in  Boston.  Then  he  came  to  me.  Pre- 
vious to  that  he  had  done  nothing  worth  speaking  of, 
but  in  my  studio  his  innate  talent  came  forth  directly. 
He  went  to  Paris  and  studied  under  Fremiet,  the  famous 
animal  sculptor  of  the  continent.  To-day  Mr.  Potter  is 
on  the  top  of  the  ladder,  although  he  is  but  forty  years 
old.  Recently  he  had  a  studio  in  New  York,  but  at 
present  he  is  at  Enfield,  Mass.,  his  home,  where  he  is 
able  to  work  in  seclusion. 

"In  dealing  with  a  model,"  said  Mr.  French,  "we  take 
the  good  points.  There  are  no  rules  of  proportion  to  go 
by.  Eeference  is  often  made  to  the  Greek  statues,  yet 
no  one  can  prove  that  their  sculptors  observed  a  set  of 
rules,  but  rather  the  contrary.  One  form  may  be  as 
perfect  as  another,  yet  be  of  entirely  different  propor- 
tions." 

WITHOUT    HASTE,    WITHOUT    REST. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Mr.  French,  from  the  very 
outset  of  his  career  as  a  sculptor,  has  both  worked  hard 
and  aimed  high,  and  he  continues  to  work  as  hard  as 
ever,  although  his  circumstances  would  justify  some 
relaxation  from  labor.  Contrary  to  the  experience  of 
most  men,  the  progress  of  Mr.  French  toward  fame  has 
never  been  interrupted  by  misfortune.  Beginning  amid 
favorable  circumstances,  he  has  gone  forward  steadily, 
smoothly,  and  successfully.  He  has  received  an  abun- 
dant meed  of  public  approval,  and  fair  compensation  for 
his  productions.  His  reputation  is  so  well  established 
that  orders  come  to  him  as  a  matter  of  course,  without 
solicitation  or  competition  on  his  part. 


XXXVIII. 
A  GREAT  MARINE   PAINTER. 


I  STOOD  on  W.  T.  Richards'  porch,  at  Jamestown 
opposite  Newport,  R.I.,  gazing  across  the  mouth  of 
Narragansett  Bay  to  the  ocean  and  the  light-ship  rocking 
at  its  anchorage  on  the  reef,  away  out  on  the  blue  ex- 
panse of  scintillating  water.  Beneath,  on  the  rugged 
shore  that  rises  unevenly  _ for  eighty  feet,  the  waves 
rolled  and  broke  defiantly,  tossing  a  mane  of  white  foam 
that  glistened  in  the  air  like  diamonds.  This  is  the  pan- 
orama that  the  great  painter  enjoys  —  the  sea,  the  sea, 
never  motionless ;  and  the  rocks  and  breakers  and  salt- 
breathing  spray. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Richards,  when  we  were  seated  in  his 
studio,  surrounded  by  sketches  and  studies  ;  "  my  paint- 
ings are  all  beautiful  —  before  I  begin  to  paint  them ; 
the  paint  spoils  them."  Then  his  thoughtful,  grayish- 
blue  eyes  twinkled. 

He  is  slight,  with  a  finely-shaped  head,  hair  fast  be- 
coming white,  and  regular  features.  His  eyes  are  keen 
and  thoughtful.  In  manner  he  is  as  lively  as  a  young 
man,  although  nearly  sixty  years  of  age. 

"  Are  you  not  in  love  with  your  pictures  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  No,  except  before  I  paint  them.  I  never  paint  till  I 
have  my  picture  clearly  and  distinctly  formed  in  my 
mind.  I  know  just  exactly  what  I  am  going  to  do,  and 

230 


W.    T.   RICHARDS.  231 

do  it,  — but  0,  how  poorly  in  comparison  to  my  concep- 
tion !  If  a  conception  is  urgent,  then  I  paint  it,  but  if 
two  are  contending  in  my  mind  at  once,  I  don't.  Some- 
times a  picture  hangs  around  and  demands  to  be  painted, 
whether  I  will  or  no. 

"  One  of  these  days,"  continued  Mr.  Richards,  jocosely, 
"  when  all  of  them  have  been  attended  to,  I  will  really 
paint  a  picture." 

"  When  did  you  begin  to  paint  ?  " 

"  I  have  painted  ever  since  I  can  remember.  When  I 
was  a  boy,  living  just  outside  of  Philadelphia,  in  the 
summer  I  delighted  in  going  with  a  friend  of  mine  to 
paint  in  some  out-of-the-way  nook,  some  sylvan  dell 
with  an  old  worn-out  mill.  Nothing  delighted  me  more 
than  an  old  weather-stained  mill,  with  its  mill-race,  cool 
shade,  and  varying  shadows.  All  my  Saturdays  and 
holidays  were  thus  spent." 

A    PAINTER    FROM    BOYHOOD. 

Mr.  Kichards  was  born  in  Philadelphia.  His  first 
instruction  was  at  the  Pennsylvania  Academy,  Philadel- 
phia. And  besides  this,  he  learned  much  from  a  local 
artist : 

"  I  used  to  bother  Paul  Weber,  a  Philadelphia  painter ; 
I  frequented  his  studio,  and  received  much  valuable  in- 
struction from  him.  Then  I  went  abroad  for  two  years, 
travelling  through  France,  Germany,  and  Italy,  making 
sketches  as  I  went. 

"  During  my  early  life,  I  never  thought  of  painting 
the  sea,  I  delighted  in  a  landscape. 

"  I  remember,  one  time,  I  was  sitting  in  a  field  in  New 
England,  painting,  with  an  easel  before  me.  A  lady 
passing  by  paused  and  looked  over  my  shoulder.  Sud- 
denly she  stepped  in  front  of  me  and  said,  with  empha- 


232  TALKS   WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

sis :  •'  The  Lord  Almighty  should  be  proud  of  you .'  You 
can  imagine  my  astonishment.  I  have  never  had  any  one 
make  that  remark  since/'  he  added,  laughing. 

"  But  your  marine  painting  ?  "  I  asked. 

"My  first  was  of  a  fog  off  Nantucket.  I  had  gone 
there  with  my  family,  for  the  health  of  my  children. 
That  was  in  1865,  but  it  was  not  until  1870  that  I  de- 
voted almost  my  whole  attention  to  the  sea  and  the 
coast.  There  seemed  to  be  a  call  for  them.  Somehow 
the  people  seemed  to  like  the  way  I  dealt  with  the  sea. 
I  am  passionately  fond  of  it  now. 

"  No,  I  seldom  take  my  easel  outside  and  paint  from 
life.  I  make  sketches,  in  color.  The  ocean  is  never 
quiet.  The  color  and  character  of  the  motion  only  can 
be  taken.  I  often  sit  for  hours  watching  it,  and  then, 
after  I  have  turned  the  whole  subject  over  in  my  mind, 
a  picture  is  almost  immediately  formed.  Of  course,  I 
study  and  am  familiar  with  the  different  rock  forma- 
tions along  our  coasts.  Different  kinds  of  sand  have 
their  effect  upon  the  breakers.  Very  fine  sand  makes 
a  hard,  level  beach ;  the  water  slides  over  it  smoothly, 
and  the  breakers  begin  far  out,  and  come  in  one  after 
another,  in  layers,  —  in  long,  beautifully  curving  lines, 
till  they  are  only  an  inch  or  so  deep,  leaving  pools  that 
reflect  the  light  of  the  sky.  I  delight  in  such  a  beach. 
Old  Orchard  Beach,  Maine,  is  such  a  one.  The  beach  at 
Atlantic  City,  when  I  was  a  boy,  was  beautiful.  At  the 
upper  end  there  used  to  be  a  line  of  cedars,  beyond  the 
sea.  I  used  to  sit  in  the  cedars  and  gaze  in  rhapsody 
upon  the  ocean.  But  the  sea  encroached,  and  carried  the 
sand  away,  and  the  cedar  roots  were  undermined. 


W.    T.   RICHARDS.  233 


AMUSING    INCIDENTS. 

"Sometimes  very  amusing  things  occur.  One  day  I 
had  put  on  my  bathing-suit,  and  was  standing  in  the 
water,  a  little  above  my  ankles,  studying  the  waves  and 
the  light  upon  them.  A  man  paused  on  the  beach,  and 
shouted  encouragingly  :  '  Don't  be  afraid,  there  ;  go  in  ! ' 

"  I  was  also  in  the  habit  of  sitting  on  the  sand,  in  front 
of  my  easel.  In  consequence,  my  nose  would  become 
much  sunburnt.  I  carried  a  whiskey  flask,  filled  with 
water,  to  quench  my  thirst.  One  day  I  noticed  a  man 
loitering  on  the  beach  and  watching  me.  Suddenly  he 
roused  himself  sufficiently  to  call :  '  Say,  neighbor,  if  you 
come  around  to  my  diggings,  I  '11  give  you  some  good 
stuff.'  I  suppose  he  meant  something  that  would  not 
leave  the  tell-tale  odor." 


THE    BEAUTY    OF    HIS    WORK. 

When  one  thinks  of  W.  T.  Richards'  paintings,  it  is 
cliffs,  detached  rocks  with  breakers  pouring  over  them, 
or  a  bit  of  beach  with  a  retreating  wave  that  he  has  in 
mind.  The  sails  of  a  ship  play  but  a  small  part.  The 
beauty  and  truthfulness  of  his  work  may  be  illustrated 
by  a  certain  incident.  Two  gentlemen  had  a  weighty 
argument  over  his  "  Mid-Ocean."  One  claimed  that  it 
could  not  possibly  be  from  anything  but  a  photograph ; 
the  other,  that  it  was  not  from  a  photograph.  At  the 
time,  Mr.  Richards  was  in  England.  A  cable  dispatch 
was  sent  to  him  asking  him  to  decide  the  question.  It 
proved  to  be  a  product  of  his  memory,  aided  by  sketches, 
and  was  done  in  his  studio. 

"  Do  you  ever  use  photographs  ?  "  I  asked. 


234  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 


PORTRAYING   SCENERY. 

"No;  I  have  often  bought  them,  thinking  that  they 
would  be  of  some  use  in  keeping  my  memory  awake. 
But  they  are  not.  It  is  seldom  I  portray  a  scene  exactly. 
Strange  to  say,  to  put  on  canvas  a  picture  of  a  small  sec- 
tion of  coast  seldom  gives  the  impression  of  its  general 
character.  It  is  necessary  to  compile,  as  it  were,  or  to 
condense." 

Mr.  Richards  has  a  winter  house  in  the  country  out- 
side of  Newport.  But  of  late  years  he  has  spent  most 
of  his  winters  in  the  British  Isles,  visiting  the  picturesque 
and  ragged  shores  of  those  islands.  The  North  of  Scot- 
land and  the  Shetland  Islands  have  a  particular  fascina- 
tion for  him. 

The  United  States  government,  to  his  grief,  has  forced 
him  to  sell  his  summer  home  at  Jamestown,  Conanicut 
Island.  Old  Fort  Dumplings  has  been  demolished,  and  a 
fort  that  will  command  the  entrance  to  Narragansett 
Bay  will  be  built  on  Mr.  Richards'  property.  His  house 
was  built  twenty  years  ago,  after  his  own  architectural 
plan.  On  a  stormy  day  the  sea  dashes  high  over  the 
rocks  in  front. 

"  Was  it  a  struggle  to  gain  your  position  ?  "  I  asked 
as  I  took  a  parting  look  at  his  studio. 

"Of  course,"  he  replied.  "  Art  is  always  a  struggle. 
We  never  attain  our  highest  ambition.  Everything  is  a 
struggle."  Then  I  departed.  The  sunlight,  woven  with 
a  sea  breeze,  kissed  the  coarse  grass,  the  huckleberry 
bushes,  and  the  wild  roses  that  clambered  over  the 
mounds  and  rocks  outside.  Behind  me  was  the  blue  sea, 
Mr.  Richards  standing  in  the  doorway. 


XXXIX. 

YEARS  OF  LABOR  TO  MAKE  OF  PHOTOG- 
RAPHY A  FINE  ART. 


THERE  is  one  man  among  the  master  photographers 
who  so  towers  above  his  fellows  that  there  is  no  longer 
any  dispute  as  to  his  leadership.  His  name  is  Alfred 
Steiglitz,  and  it  has  become  very  widely  known.  His 
work  is  so  esteemed  the  world  over  among  those  who 
love  art  in  photographs,  and  who  love  to  study  and 
emulate  superior  and  original  methods,  that  is  has  come 
to  have  a  high  market  value.  Single  prints  from  his 
negatives  sell  at  prices  ranging  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
dollars.  A  large  card-mounted  edition  of  twelve  photo- 
gravures of  his  pictures  having  been  issued,  it  was  in 
demand  at  premium  at  once,  selling  for  fifteen  dollars 
per  copy.  Several  of  the  largest  publishing-houses  have 
offered  him  cash  bonuses  of  no  trivial  proportions  to 
write  a  work  on  photography,  or  issue  a  large  volume  of 
his  pictures  in  half-tone ;  but  he  is  too  sincere  an  artist 
to  put  himself  forward  until  the  time  and  his  own  work 
are  riper  for  the  results  he  aims  to  achieve. 

PATIENCE    IN    ART. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  tell  wherein  his  pictures  are 
so  superior  to  those  of  others.  Art  is  an  elusive  thing. 
It  must  be  seen.  He  waited  in  the  rain  for  hours  to  get 

235 


236  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

a  picture  that  would  express  the  sweep  and  vigor  of  a 
stormy  day.  He  did  not  snap  his  camera  right  and  left. 
In  the  end  patience  prevailed.  A  moment  came  when 
a  sweep  of  gray  drops  was  so  evident  as  to  be  photo- 
graphable,  and  he  photographed  them.  Other  photog- 
raphers had  tried  before.  Others  had  taken  scores  of 
negatives,  all  dim  and  lifeless.  He,  with  a  little  two-by- 
four  detective  camera,  saw  his  opportunity  and  made  it 
avail,  and  "  A  Rainy  Day  in  Fifth  Avenue  "  became  one 
of  the  most  generally  admired  of  his  many  pictures. 

Similarly  he  was  the  first  to  make  night  pictures  — 
a  thing  never  before  thought  possible  in  photography. 
He  planted  his  camera  in  the  public  ways  and  stood 
beside  it  for  hours.  He  did  it  time  and  time  again, 
making  a  series  of  pictures  which  attracted  no  end  of 
attention. 

It  is  not  all  patience,  however.  There  is  a  fine  feeling 
which  guides  his  decision.  He  would  not  photograph 
an  imperfect  picture.  He  is  keen  and  quick  to  discover 
what  is  wanting,  to  take  out  and  put  in.  So  when  you 
see  one  of  his  pictures,  you  will  discover  that  it  "  looks 
like  a  painting."  There  will  be  that  selection  of  subject, 
that  delicacy  of  treatment,  and  that  charm  of  situation 
and  sentiment  which  all  rare  paintings  have.  Only  color 
will  be  missing,  and  this,  in  fact,  will  be  compensated  for 
by  the  clear,  crowning  reality  of  the  thing. 

It  was  in  Berlin  that  Mr.  Steiglitz  first  studied  photog- 
raphy. There,  in  1885,  he  was  studying  mechanical 
engineering  at  the  Polytechnic  School,  when  Dr.  Vogel, 
of  the  photo-chemical  laboratory,  persuaded  the  young 
man  that  a  course  of  theoretical  photography  would  be 
of  great  value  in  his  profession.  Mr.  Steiglitz  took  up 
the  work  and  followed  it  closely,  only  to  become  con- 
vinced that  it  was  a  worthy  field  in  itself.  In  1887,  two 


ALFRED  STEIOLITZ.  237 

years  after,  he  entered  a  picture,  "  A  Good  Story,"  in  a 
contest  which  the  London  "  Amateur  Photographer " 
arranged,  winning  a  silver  medal.  The  merit  of  the 
picture  called  forth  a  letter  of  praise  and  encouragement 
from  the  judge  of  award,  Dr.  P.*  H.  Emmerson,  one  of 
the  best  amateur  photographers  in  England. 

This  was  merely  a  beginning.  In  the  twelve  years 
which  have  elapsed  since  then,  he  gathered  honors 
rapidly,  until  now  he  possesses  one  hundred  medals, 
bronze,  silver,  and  gold,  and  a  number  of  certificates  of 
acceptance  from  institutions  which  are  most  conserva- 
tive. The  latter  he  values  most,  because  they  represent 
a  severer  test,  and  consequently  greater  appreciation. 

Mr.  Steiglitz  came  to  his  native  city,  New  York,  in 
1888,  but  did  not  stay  long.  He  went  back  to  Europe 
for  two  years,  where  he  made  some  remarkable  studies, 
and  then  returned.  He  began  by  endeavoring  to  settle 
down  in  business,  not  as  a  mechanical  engineer,  —  for  he 
had  abandoned  that,  —  but  in  trade.  He  could  not  en- 
dure it,  however,  and  returned  to  the  study  of  photog- 
raphy, which  has  since  proved  so  valuable  to  him. 

It  was  during  the  years  following  Mr.  Steiglitz's  return 
to  America  that  his  best  work  was  done.  He  attracted 
attention  by  constantly  securing  an  artistic  photograph 
of  something  never  before  attempted.  He  introduced 
new  and  simpler  methods.  At  the  same  time  he  proved 
that  a  great  photograph  is  worth  years  of  labor  to  make. 
One  instance  is  particularly  well  known  in  photographic 
art  circles.  It  was  the  making  of  the  picture,  "  The  L 
in  a  Storm."  The  picture  was  made  with  a  little  three- 
by-four  detective  camera.  It  was  a  blinding  snow  scene, 
made  at  a  moment  when  the  elements  were  most  clearly 
picturesque.  He  made  a  print  of  it  which  was  striking 
enough,  and  which,  with  most  photographers,  would  have 


238  TALKS    WITH  ORE  AT    WORKERS. 

ended  the  matter.  Not  so  with  him.  Small  as  the  plate 
was,  it  contained  much  that  was  unessential  and  that 
weakened  the  composition.  Accordingly  all  this  was 
cut  out  and  an  enlarged  transparency  made  of  the  part 
which  was  to  be  kept  —  about  half  of  the  original.  In 
the  development  of  this,  and  the  still  further  enlarged 
negative,  much  care  had  to  be  taken  and  many  plates 
used.  The  contrast  had  to  be  reduced,  parts  held  back, 
and  others  brought  forward.  In  fact,  everything  had  to 
be  done  which  could,  by  purely  photographic  methods, 
tend  to  convey  the  impression  produced  by  the  original 
scene.  Often  months  of  work  are  devoted  to  such  a 
picture ;  not  constant,  of  course,  but  six  or  eight  hours  a 
week.  In  this  case  the  photograph  was  taken  four  or 
five  years  ago,  and  only  completed  a  few  months  since. 
It  had  grown  to  an  eleven-by-fourteen  print,  a  gem  of  art. 
It  was  not  so  very  different  from  the  early  copies,  yet 
sufficient  to  make  the  last  pure  art.  The  range  of  tone 
had  been  modified  so  as  to  make  the  falling  snow  more 
prominent,  and  a  couple  of  girders  in  the  foreground  had 
been  removed. 

HIS    ACHIEVEMENTS    AND    HIS    TASKS. 

But  Mr.  Steiglitz's  work  is  greater  than  his  reputa- 
tion, and  to  him  is  due  much  of  the  prominence  which 
artistic  photography  has  gained.  About  two  years  ago 
there  were  two  large  but  practically  dead  clubs  in  New 
York,  one  of  which  boasted  Mr.  Steiglitz  as  a  member. 
Neither  was  successful  until  he  took  the  lead  and  united 
the  two  in  the  Camera  Club.  Immediately  the  combina- 
tion of  talent  and  numbers  prospered.  The  membership 
increased  to  over  three  hundred,  and  the  entrance  fee 
and  annual  dues  were  doubled.  An  eight-thousand-dollar 
photographic  plant  was  installed,  free  to  all  members. 


ALFRED   STEIGLITZ.  239 

"Camera  Notes"  was  founded,  and  in  little  more  than  a 
year  the  club  had  become  one  of  the  wealthiest  organiza- 
tions of  the  sort  in  the  country. 

Mr.  Steiglitz  has  organized  exhibits  which  have 
brought  out  talent  the  land  over.  He  has  set  himself 
three  tasks,  which,  if  accomplished,  will  bring  recogni- 
tion to  photography  as  an  art  of  the  first  importance. 

The  first  of  these  is  to  elevate  the  standard  of  pictorial 
photography  in  America.  The  second  to  establish  an 
annual  exhibition,  of  a  much  higher  order  than  anything 
yet  known,  giving  no  awards,  but  only  a  certificate  of  ac- 
ceptance, which  shall  be,  in  itself,  a  treasure ;  third,  to 
establish  a  National  Academy  of  Photography.  That 
Mr.  Steiglitz  will  succeed,  no  one  doubts  who  understands 
his  marvellous  ability. 


XL. 

AMERICA'S    GREAT    BANDMASTER  —  SOUSA  : 
HIS    TIRELESS    ENERGY. 


JOHN  PHILIP  SOUSA  entered  his  apprenticeship  in  a 
military  band  at  the  age  of  twelve.  The  circumstances, 
which  he  related  to  me  during  a  recent  conversation, 
make  it  clear,  however,  that  it  was  not  the  realization  of 
any  youthful  ambition. 

"  When  I  was  a  youngster  of  twelve/'  said  the  band- 
master, "  I  could  play  the  violin  fairly  well.  A  circus 
came  to  Washington,  D.C.,  where  I  then  lived,  and  re- 
mained for  two  days.  During  the  morning  of  the  first  day, 
one  of  the  showmen  passed  the  house  and  heard  me  play- 
ing. He  rang  the  bell,  and  when  I  answered  it,  asked  if 
I  would  not  like  to  join  the  show.  I  was  at  the  age 
when  it  is  the  height  of  every  boy's  ambition  to  join  a 
circus,  and  was  so  delighted  that  I  readily  agreed  to  his 
instructions  that  I  was  to  take  my  violin,  and,  without 
telling  any  one,  go  quietly  to  the  show  grounds  late  the 
next  evening. 

"  I  could  n't,  however,  keep  this  stroke  of  good  fortune 
entirely  to  myself,  so  I  confided  it  to  my  chum,  who 
lived  next  door.  The  effect  was  entirely  unanticipated. 
He  straightway  became  so  jealous  at  the  thought  that  I 
would  have  an  opportunity  to  witness  the  circus  perform- 

240 


JOHN    PHILIP   SOUSA. 


JOHN  PHILIP  SOUS  A.  241 

ance  free  that  he  told  his  mother,  and  that  good  woman 
promptly  laid  the  whole  matter  before  my  father. 

IN    THE    MARINE    BAND. 

"  At  the  time  I  was,  of  course,  ignorant  of  this  turn  of 
affairs  ;  but  early  the  next  morning  my  father,  without  a 
word  of  explanation,  told  me  to  put  on  my  best  clothes, 
and,  without  ceremony,  bundled  me  down  to  the  office  of 
the  Marine  Band,  where  he  entered  me  as  an  apprentice. 
The  age  limit  at  which  admission  could  be  gained  to  the 
band  corps  was  fourteen  years,  and  I  have  always  re- 
tained the  two  years  which  my  father  unceremoniously 
added  to  my  age  at  that  time." 

Sousa  is  of  Spanish  descent,  his  father  having  emi- 
grated from  Spain  to  Portugal  by  reason  of  political  en- 
tanglements. Thence  came  the  strange  fact  that,  during 
the  recent  war,  American  troops  marched  forward  to  at- 
tack Spaniards  to  the  music  of  marches  written  by  this 
descendant  of  their  race.  The  director's  remark  that  his 
family  was  one  of  the  oldest  in  Spain  was  supplementary 
to  an  amused  denial  of  that  pretty  story  which  has  been 
so  widely  circulated  to  the  effect  that  the  bandmaster's 
name  was  originally  John  Philipso,  and  that  when,  after 
entering  the  Marine  Band,  he  signed  it  with  the  "  U.S.A." 
appended,  some  intelligent  clerk  divided  it  into  John 
Philip  Sousa. 

HIS    FIRST    SUCCESSFUL    WORK. 

In  discussing  his  opera,  "El  Capitan,"  which,  when 
produced  by  De  Wolf  Hopper  several  seasons  ago, 
achieved  such  instantaneous  success,  the  composer  re- 
marked that  it  was  the  sixth  opera  he  had  written,  the 
others  never  reaching  the  dignity  of  a  production. 

As  Sousa  is  preeminently  a  man  of  action,  so  his  career 


242  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

and  characteristics  are  best  outlined  by  incidents.  One 
in  connection  with  his  operatic  composition  strikingly  il- 
lustrates his  pluck  and  determination.  Before  he  attained 
any  great  degree  of  prominence  in  the  musical  world, 
Sousa  submitted  an  opera  to  Francis  Wilson,  offering  to 
sell  it  outright  for  one  thousand  five  hundred  dollars. 
Wilson  liked  the  opera,  but  the  composer  was  not  forti- 
fied by  a  great  name,  so  he  declined  to  pay  more  than 
one  thousand  dollars  for  the  piece.  The  composer  re- 
plied that  he  had  spent  the  best  part  of  a  year  on  the 
work,  and  felt  that  he  could  not  take  less  than  his 
original  demand.  Wilson  was  obdurate,  and  Sousa  rue- 
fully put  the  manuscript  back  into  his  portfolio. 

Some  time  afterwards  a  inarch,  which  the  bandmaster 
sent  to  a  well-known  publishing-house,  caught  the  public 
favor.  The  publishers  demanded  another  at  once.  The 
composer  had  none  at  hand,  but  suddenly  thought  of  the 
march  in  his  discarded  opera,  and  forwarded  it  without 
waiting  to  select  a  name. 

While  he  was  pondering  thoughtfully  on  the  subject 
of  a  title,  Sousa  and  a  friend  one  evening  went  to  the 
Auditorium  in  Chicago,  where  "America"  was  then 
being  presented.  When  the  mammoth  drop  curtain, 
with  the  painted  representation  of  the  Liberty  Bell,  was 
lowered,  the  bandmaster's  companion  said,  with  the  sud- 
denness of  an  inspiration :  "  There  is  a  name  for  your 
new  march."  That  night  it  went  on  to  the  publishers. 

Up  to  date  this  one  selection  from  the  opera  for 
which  Francis  Wilson  refused  to  pay  fifteen  hundred 
dollars  has  netted  its  composer  thirty-five  thousand 
dollars. 

A    MAN    WHO   NEVER    RESTS. 

Sousa  has  practically  no  vacations.  Throughout  the 
greater  part  of  the  autumn,  winter,  and  spring,  his  band 


JOHN  PHILIP  SOUSA.  243 

is  en  tour  through  this  country  and  Canada,  giving,  as  a 
rule,  two  concerts  each  day,  usually  in  different  towns. 
During  the  summer  his  time  is  occupied  with  daily  con- 
certs at  Manhattan  Beach,  near  New  York.  Despite  all 
this,  he  finds  time  to  write  several  marches  or  other 
musical  selections  each  year,  and  for  several  years  past 
has  averaged  each  year  an  operatic  production.  Any 
person  who  is  at  all  conversant  with  the  subject  knows 
that  the  composition  of  the  opera  itself  is  only  the  be- 
ginning of  the  composer's  labor,  and  Sousa  has  invariably 
directed  the  rehearsals  with  all  the  thoroughness  and 
attention  to  detail  that  might  be  expected  from  a  less 
busy  man. 

The  bandmaster  is  a  late  riser,  and  in  that,  as  in  other 
details,  the  routine  of  his  daily  life  is  the  embodiment 
of  regularity  and  punctuality.  In  reply  to  my  question 
as  to  what  produces  his  never-failing  good  health,  he 
said :  "  Absolute  regularity  of  life,  plenty  of  sleep,  and 
good,  plain,  substantial  food." 

His  idea  of  the  most  valuable  aids,  if  not  essentials  to 
success,  may  be  imagined.  They  are  "  persistence  and 
hard  work."  The  "  March  King "  believes  that  it  is 
only  worry,  and  not  hard  work,  that  kills  people,  and  he 
also  has  confidence  that  if  there  be  no  literal  truth  in 
the  assertion  that  genius  is  simply  another  name  for 
hard  work,  there  is  at  least  much  of  wisdom  in  the 
saying. 

Many  persons  who  have  seen  Sousa  direct  his  organi- 
zation make  the  assertion  that  the  orders  conveyed  by 
his  baton  are  non-essential  —  that  the  band  would  be 
equally  well  off  without  Sousa.  This  never  received  a 
fuller  refutation  than  during  a  recent  concert  in  an  East- 
ern city.  Two  small  boys  in  seats  near  the  front  of  the 
hall  were  tittering,  but  so  quietly  that  it  would  hardly 


244  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

seem  possible  that  it  could  be  noticed  on  the  stage,  espe- 
cially by  the  bandmaster,  whose  back  was,  of  course, 
toward  the  audience.  Suddenly,  in  the  middle  of  a  bar, 
his  baton  fell.  Instantly  every  sound  ceased,  not  a 
note  having  been  sounded  after  the  signal,  which  could 
not  have  been  anticipated,  was  given.  Wheeling  quickly, 
the  leader  ordered  the  troublesome  youngsters  to  leave 
the  hall,  and  almost  before  the  audience  had  realized 
what  had  happened,  the  great  organization  had  resumed 
the  rendition  of  the  selection,  without  the  loss  of  a  chord. 

HOW    SOUSA    WORKS. 

In  answer  to  my  inquiry  as  to  his  methods  of  work, 
the  director  said  : 

"I  think  that  any  musical  composer  must  find  his 
periods  of  work  governed  largely  by  inspiration.  A 
march  or  a  waltz  depends  perhaps  upon  some  strain  that 
has  sufficient  melody  to  carry  the  entire  composibion,  and 
it  is  the  waiting  to  catch  this  embryo  note  that  is  some- 
times long. 

"  Take  my  experience  with  ( The  Stars  and  Stripes 
Forever.'  I  worked  for  weeks  on  the  strain  that  I  think 
will  impress  most  persons  as  the  prettiest  in  the  march. 
I  carried  it  in  my  mind  all  that  time,  but  I  could  not 
get  the  idea  transferred  to  paper  just  as  I  wanted. 
When  I  did  accomplish  it,  there  was  comparatively 
little  delay  with  the  remainder." 

When  I  asked  him  about  his  future  work,  Mr.  Sousa 
said : 

"  I  have  commissions  to  write  several  operas,  and  I 
am  at  work  on  a  musical  composition  which  I  hope  to 
make  the  best  thing  that  I  have  ever  attempted." 


XLI. 

THE  BUILDING  OF  A  GREAT  UNIVERSITY: 
PIONEER'S  HIGH  IDEALS  AND  LOFTY  PURPOSES. 


LELAND  STANFORD  was  a  farmer's  son,  who  learned  to 
work  hard  when  a  boy.  He  acquired  most  of  his  pre- 
liminary "  book  learning "  in  a  rural  district  school. 
The  story  goes  that  when  the  boy  was  but  six  years 
old,  at  the  homestead  at  Watervliet,  JST.Y.,  he  and  his 
brothers  set  to  work  to  clear  his  father's  garden  of  horse- 
radish, which  was  regarded  as  a  weed.  When  the  work 
was  done  Leland  suggested  that  they  take  the  horse- 
radish to  Schenectady  and  sell  it.  The  suggestion  was 
adopted  and  a  dollar  was  realized,  the  first  money  that 
Leland  Stanford  had  a  share  in  earning.  When  he  was 
eight  years  old  he  and  his  brothers  gathered  chestnuts 
and  waited  until  a  rise  in  the  price  enabled  them  to  sell 
them  for  twenty-five  dollars. 

Leland  grew  to  be  a  tall  and  powerful  youth,  very 
popular  with  his  mates.  When  he  was  eighteen  his 
father  bought  a  piece  of  woodland.  He  offered  Leland 
the  lumber  to  do  with  as  he  pleased,  if  he  would  attend 
to  the  work  of  clearing.  The  young  man  took  his  axe, 
hired  some  helpers  at  twenty-five  cents  a  day,  —  then  the 
prevailing  rate  of  wages,  —  and  in  a  few  weeks  the  land 
was  cleared.  Leland  sold  the  timber  to  the  Mohawk  and 

245 


246  TALKS   WITH   GREAT   WORKERS. 

Hudson  River  Railroad,  and  made  a  profit  of  twenty-six 
hundred  dollars  by  the  transaction. 

HE   BECAME    A    CALIFORNIA    PIONEER. 

Next  came  a  move  which  foreshadowed  the  man. 
Young  Stanford  was  not  so  eager  to  get  rich  as  to  devote 
this  capital  to  further  money-making  ventures.  He 
spent  it  on  himself,  his  own  development.  Having  long 
before  determined  to  be  a  lawyer,  he  entered  a  law  office 
in  Albany  in  1845,  and  four  years  afterwards,  when 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
While  he  was  a  student  at  Albany  an  event  occurred 
which  had  more  influence  upon  his  life,  and  more  to  do 
with  his  success,  than  any  other.  He  met  his  future 
wife.  Young  Stanford  went  to  Port  Washington,  on 
Lake  Michigan,  and  began  the  practice  of  law.  Visiting 
Albany  again,  he  married  and  took  his  wife  to  Port 
Washington. 

One  night  a  fire  swept  away  Mr.  Stanford's  house, 
furniture,  and  library.  But  little  was  left.  His  brothers 
had  gone  to  California  and  he  determined  to  follow 
them.  The  young  wife,  who  remained  behind  until  he 
should  establish  himself,  bade  him  a  tearful  good-by, 
with  a  godspeed  which,  he  afterwards  said,  was  his  in- 
spiration throughout  the  toilsome  journey  and  the  first 
months  of  struggle  amid  the  hard  conditions  of  life  then 
existing  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Leland  Stanford,  the  pos- 
sessor of  magnificent  health  and  a  fine  spirit,  was  just 
the  young  man  to  subdue  these  conditions  to  his  own 
uses. 

He  became  a  merchant  and  prospered.  His  wife 
joined  him,  and  within  ten  years,  so  rapid  was  his  rise,  he 
was  elected  governor  of  California.  He  was  the  "  war 
governor,"  the  man  who,  when  the  eyes  of  the  nation 


LELAND  STANFORD.  247 

were  turned  anxiously  toward  California  filled  with  fear 
of  its  secession  from  the  Union,  said:  "California  will 
stick  to  the  Union." 

THE    UNION    PACIFIC    RAILROAD. 

Rich  and  beautiful  as  California  was,  she  was  isolated 
from  the  world  ;  cut  off  from  the  rest  of  civilization  by 
that  mighty  barrier,  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

"  California  must  be  opened  to  the  rest  of  the  country," 
said  Leland  Stanford.  "  We  must  have  a  railroad  across 
the  Rockies." 

"  It  is  impossible,"  replied  the  engineers  ;  "  the  natural 
difficulties  are  too  great." 

"  Impossible  or  not,  it  shall  be  done,"  said  Stanford. 

On  Feb.  22,  1861,  he  threw  out  the  first  shovelful  of 
gravel  on  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad,  and  on  May  10? 
1869,  when  the  Central  and  the  Union  Pacific  met  at 
Promontory,  Utah,  eight  hundred  and  thirty  miles  from 
San  Francisco,  one  thousand  and  eighty-four  miles  from 
Omaha,  and  four  thousand  nine  hundred  feet  above  the 
sea,  he  held  a  sledge-hammer  of  solid  silver  to  whose 
handle  were  fastened  wires  affording  telegraphic  commu- 
nication with  the  principal  cities  of  the  United  States. 
Telegraphic  business  was  suspended,  for  the  time,  far 
and  wide.  The  last  tie,  a  masterpiece  of  California  laurel 
with  silver  plates  appropriately  inscribed,  was  put  into 
place,  and  the  last  rails  were  laid  by  the  two  companies. 
The  last  spikes  were  handed  to  him,  one  of  gold  from 
California,  one  of  silver  from  Nevada,  and  one  of  iron, 
gold,  and  silver  from  Arizona.  At  the  first  stroke  of 
noon  he  struck  the  gold  spike,  loosing  the  lightning 
which  told  the  nation  that  the  East  and  West  were 
united. 

This  great  enterprise  brought  many  millions  of  dollars 


248  TALKS    WITH  ORE  AT    WORKERS. 

to  Leland  Stanford,  and  added  a  vastly  greater  wealth 
to  the  Pacific  coast. 


A    MEMORIAL   UNIVERSITY. 

The  only  child  of  the  Stanfords,  a  very  promising  boy, 
died  when  he  was  sixteen  years  old.  He  had  derived  from 
his  parents  their  sense  of  responsibility  as  the  possessor 
of  large  wealth,  and  had  vaguely  formed  a  plan  to  found 
in  California  a  great  institution  of  learning,  when  he 
should  reach  manhood.  After  his  death,  in  March,  1884, 
his  grief-stricken  parents  resolved  to  carry  out  this  plan, 
and  thus  perpetuate  the  memory  of  their  boy.  And  so 
the  great  Leland  Stanford  Junior  University  stands  a 
permanent  and  life-giving  monument  to  the  grand  and 
noble  ideals  of  a  father,  mother,  and  son. 

Of  the  very  extreme  private  beneficence  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stanford,  the  general  public  will  never  know ;  but 
the  whole  world  knows  of  the  Leland  Stanford  Junior 
University,  the  noble  collection  of  buildings  surrounded 
by  the  beautiful  and  luxuriant  land  of  the  great  Palo 
Alto  ranch  in  California.  The  endowment  of  the  uni- 
versity is  far  greater  than  that  of  any  other  educational 
institution  in  the  world.  Expense  was  not  considered  in 
the  work  of  realizing  the  founder's  purpose,  which  Mr. 
Stanford  expressed  in  these  words  : 

"  I  would  have  this  institution  help  to  fit  men  and 
women  for  usefulness  in  this  life  by  increasing  their  in- 
dividual power  of  production,  and  by  making  them  good 
companions  for  themselves  and  for  others." 

One  of  the  first  departments  opened  was  that  of 


LELAND   STANFORD.  249 


MANUAL    TRAINING. 

The  influence  has  been  most  helpful  in  the  institution. 
A  carpenter  is  held  in  the  same  estimation  as  a  lawyer  or 
an  artist. 

Each  student  in  the  university  chooses  and  pursues  the 
studies  best  adapted  to  his  or  her  abilities  and  tastes. 
But  each  must  select  one  subject  for  a  specialty,  and  ac- 
quire a  deep  and  wide  and  accurate  understanding  of  it. 
Mr.  Stanford  realized  that  this  is  the  age  of  the  special- 
ist. Much  attention  is  devoted  to  mechanics  at  the 
university,  but  hardly  more  than  to  art,  as  is  illustrated 
by  the  fine  galleries  of  art.  The  aim  of  the  founder  was 
to  have  the  work  touch,  at  least,  upon  all  that  is  best  in 
human  endeavor,  and  embrace  the  great  principles  of 
true  living. 

HIGH    IDEALS    AND    LOFTY    PURPOSES. 

Mrs.  Stanford,  who  has  given  ten  millions  of  dollars  to 
the  university,  has  set  forth  the  aims  of  the  founder  in 
these  words : 

"  My  husband's  leading  idea  in  the  founding  of  the 
Leland  Stanford  Junior  University  was  to  develop  the 
student's  powers  for  attaining  personal  success.  I  do 
not  mean  financial  success.  His  ideal  of  success  was  far 
higher.  He  measured  success  by  but  one  standard,  and 
that  was  usefulness.  Very  much  more  successful  men, 
in  his  eyes,  than  a  Napoleon  Bonaparte  or  a  money  king, 
were  Isaac  Newton  and  Christopher  Columbus.  The 
men  who  have  added  to  the  world's  riches  rather  than 
those  who  have  stored  up  great  individual  wealth,  he  es- 
teemed most  highly. 

"  From  the  beginning  of  his  manhood  he  had  this  ideal 
of  success  and  it  was  really  the  foundation  of  all  that  he 


250  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

accomplished.  He  devoted  the  whole  force  of  his  brain 
and  character  to  bringing  about  results,  not  because  of 
the  money  there  might  be  in  them,  but  because  they 
were  important  results,  worth  working  for.  And  when 
wealth  did  come,  he  never  regarded  it  as  wholly  his.  He 
felt  that  it  had  been  acquired,  through  agencies  which 
were  really  the  common  property  of  all  the  people,  and 
that  it  was  a  great  trust,  for  the  proper  administration  of 
which  he  was  responsible." 


XLII. 

THE   NEWSBOY   COLLEGE  PEESIDENT. 
BY  THE  LATE  FRANCES  E.  WILLARD. 


HE  was  a  little  fellow,  perhaps  seven  years  old,  with 
a  fine,  well-knit  figure  and  handsome  face. 1  His  home 
was  in  a  couple  of  rooms  that  his  mother  had  hired  in 
Chicago,  and  he  and  his  older  sister,  who  constituted  the 
family,  lived  with  her  there  in  circumstances  that  would 
soon  become  needy,  for  she  was  a  soldier's  widow  with  a 
pension  quite  inadequate  to  their  expenses.  "  Give  me 
a  penny,"  said  the  little  fellow  to  his  sister.  The  boy 
kept  urging  with  so  much  persuasive  earnestness  that  at 
length  his  sister  let  him  have  the  penny.  With  this  in 
hand  he  slipped  out  of  the  door,  down  the  long  flights 
of  stairs,  and  bought  of  a  newsboy  the  leading  evening 
paper.  I  suppose  he  got  it  so  cheap  because  he  was  such 
a  pretty  fellow  and  so  young.  Hurrying  along  the  street, 
he  kept  saying,  "Who  will  give  me  two  cents  for  this 
paper  ?  "  and  it  was  not  long  until  somebody,  attracted 
by  his  handsome  face  and  "  taking  "  manner,  bought  the 
paper,  and  the  boy  ran  home  to  show  his  sister  that  his 
capital  was  doubled. 

From  this  small  beginning  he  went  on  increasing  his 

1  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  for  some  years  Miss  Willard's  stenographer; 
and  this  article  upon  his  early  career  was  prepared  by  Miss  Willard  for  the 
Author. 

251 


252  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

capital  until  he  became  a  successful  newsboy.  He  had 
to  try  hard  for  a  place  on  the  curbstone  in  front  of  the 
Sherman  House,  which  was  the  centre  of  street-car  travel 
in  those  days ;  but  what  with  persuasion,  persistence, 
and  tact,  he  succeeded  as  he  has  done  ever  since. 
Strange  as  it  may  seem,  he  learned  none  of  the  evil  ways 
of  the  street,  never  wasted  a  penny  on  tobacco,  liquor, 
or  any  other  evil  indulgence,  and  brought  home  all  that 
he  earned  to  the  mother  and  sister  who  formed  his  world. 
As  he  grew  older  he  went  to  evening  school,  and  kept  up 
with  the  well-to-do  boys  who  had  every  opportunity ; 
besides  which  he  learned  typewriting  and  stenography, 
and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  was  probably  the  best  expert 
of  his  years  in  the  United  States.  The  small  fingers  of 
his  right  hand  were  bent  out  of  shape  because  he  began 
holding  a  pencil  all  day  before  the  bones  were  fully 
hardened. 

When  he  was  eighteen  years  old  he  went  to  Evanston, 
Illinois,  with  his  mother  and  sister,  and  took  the  Univer- 
sity course,  meanwhile  supporting  them  in  comfort  in  a 
house  that  he  was  buying  on  the  instalment  plan.  From 
boyhood,  learning  had  been  as  easy  to  him  as  play  to 
other  youngsters,  for  Nature  had  bestowed  upon  him 
nearly  all  of  her  best  gifts.  He  made  a  good  income 
during  his  years  of  student  life,  and  held  a  first-rate  posi- 
tion in  his  classes.  He  was  an  excellent  writer  and 
speaker,  and  was  without  a  fault  in  his  habits  of  life. 

For  three  years  he  was  my  stenographer ;  and,  in  the 
quiet  den  where  I  worked  with  joyful  continuity,  —  my 
mother  sitting  near  and  often  suggesting  to  me  a  better 
word  than  the  one  I  was  giving,  —  he  helped  me  as  per- 
haps hardly  any  other  ever  did  ;  for  his  work  was  at  once 
so  rapid  and  so  accurate  that  I  did  not  have  to  look  it 
over,  and  I  was  able  to  put  several  days'  effort  into  one. 


PRESIDENT  RAYMOND.  253 

Mr.  George  M.  Pullman,  the  palace-car  magnate,  hav- 
ing heard  of  the  achievements  of  my  stenographer, 
desired  his  services  as  private  secretary.  This  was  an 
attractive  opening,  as  it  promised  a  high  salary  and  ex- 
cellent advantages  for  "  seeing  the  world."  He  travelled 
frequently  in  Mr.  Pullman's  parlor  car,  where  they  had 
wine  at  dinner  and  cigars  afterward;  but  when  the 
young  secretary  declined  a  glass  of  wine,  his  employer, 
to  his  honor  be  it  spoken,  did  not  urge  him  to  drink,  but 
said  in  effect,  "  Stick  to  your  principles,  young  man,  you 
have  chosen  the  better  part." 

But  the  exacting  life  of  secretary  to  a  rich  railroad 
magnate  did  not  suit  the  free  spirit  of  our  young  hero, 
so  he  gave  up  the  position  before  the  year  was  out,  and 
returned  to  the  University.  Bishop  J.  M.  Thoburn,  that 
modest  man  of  rich  scholarship  and  royal  character,  en- 
gaged him  soon  after  as  his  secretary  and  companion  on 
one  of  his  many  missionary  voyages  to  India.  Here  the 
young  man  studied  Sanskrit,  and  with  his  usual  ease 
made  such  progress  in  the  language  in  a  few  months  as 
would  have  cost  most  people  years  of  toil. 

Returning  with  the  Bishop  on  his  trip  round  the  world, 
he  completed  his  studies  in  the  University,  and  not  long 
after  married  Miss  Nettie  Hunt,  his  Evanston  classmate, 
who  had  once  excelled  him  in  an  oratorical  prize  contest ; 
and  both  became  connected  with  the  Wisconsin  State  Uni- 
versity, from  which  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of 
president  of  the  University  of  West  Virginia,  being  at 
that  time  the  youngest  college  president  in  the  United 
States,  or,  so  far  as  I  know,  in  the  world.  His  present 
home  is  at  Morgantown,  where,  in  a  beautiful  mansion, 
he  works  on,  the  same  brave  and  kind-natured  man,  with 
tireless  purpose  and  ever-growing  enlargement  in  charac- 
ter and  knowledge,  —  President  Jerome  Hall  Raymond, 
LL.D. 


254  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

Twenty  years  of  work  have  placed  him  where  he 
stands  to-day,  without  influential  friends  in  a  country 
where  "  influence "  is  of  inestimable  value,  not  only  in 
politics  but  in  paving  the  way  to  all  kinds  of  success. 
Loyalty  to  his  mother,  his  sister,  his  home,  were  cardinal 
doctrines  in  his  creed  from  the  beginning,  and  this  in  an 
age  when  we  hear  on  all  sides  that  the  love  of  home  life 
grows  cold  in  the  careless  heart  of  youth.  "Tell  me 
with  whom  thou  goest  and  I  will  tell  thee  what  thou 
doest,"  was  the  voice  heard  and  heeded  from  his  earliest 
years.  Without  a  single  exterior  advantage  except  his 
fine  physique  and  genial  ways,  this  young  Westerner  has 
stood  with  a  steadfastness  that  ought  to  cheer  every 
human  being  who  wishes  to  "  get  on  "  in  that  real  sense 
which  means  to  build  for  one's  self,  for  God,  and  for 
humanity  an  upright  character,  that  from  it  may  radiate 
a  successful  career.  He  did  not  waste  time,  the  stuff 
that  life  is  made  of,  but  he  did  not  consider  it  wasted 
when  he  spent  it  to  take  a  high  stand  in  athletics.  A 
specialty  is  the  surest  bread-winning  instrument  in  these 
days,  and  this  he  early  acquired.  Conserving  habits, 
instead  of  habits  that  deteriorate,  were  his  choice  from 
day  to  day;  for  he  seemed  to  have  an  instinct  telling 
him  that  character  is  habit  crystallized,  that  correct 
habits  make  worthy  life. 


XLIII. 

A  TALK  WITH  GIRLS  —  HOW  TO  STUDY. 
BY  MARY  A.  LIVERMORE. 


VERY  frequently  I  am  asked  whether,  if  I  had  my 
way,  I  would  have  every  girl  sent  to  college.  I  would 
not  have  every  girl  sent  to  college,  any  more  than  I 
would  every  boy,  and  for  the  same  reason. 

In  the  early  days  of  higher  American  education,  going 
to  college  was  a  dearly-bought  privilege,  and  seriously 
looked  upon  as  a  preparation  for  one  of  the  professions, 
for  no  one  went  to  college  unless  he  intended  to  be  a 
professional  man.  Now  a  college  education  has  become 
a  fad,  and,  in  many  cases,  is  as  foolish  and  injurious  as 
other  fads.  Hundreds  of  men  and  women  are  yearly 
entering  college  simply  because  it  is  the  thing  to  do,  and 
hundreds  of  others  because  they  expect  to  have  a  "  good 
time/7  which,  with  a  large  number  of  young  men,  at 
least,  means  a  demoralizing  time.  I  would  send  neither 
boy  nor  girl  to  college  unless  he  or  she  showed  a  studi- 
ous tendency,  a  love  of  such  brain  development  and 
mind  training  as  a  college  is  intended  to  give,  and  whose 
work  or  position  in  life  would  be  directly  and  effectively 
influenced  by  a  college  course.  Our  colleges  fail  to  fit 
for  getting  a  living  a  large  number  of  those  who  attend 
them. 

255 


256  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 


TRAINING   SCHOOLS. 

» 

Training  schools  are,  in  my  opinion,  the  most  needed ; 
schools  where  the  girl  will  be  individualized,  and  her 
education  and  studies  arranged  according  to  her  tastes 
and  intended  work  in  life.  For  instance,  catering  is  an 
occupation  for  which  many  girls  have  an  innate  taste 
and  natural  talent ;  and  it  is,  for  a  natural  caterer,  so  to 
speak,  one  of  the  most  profitable  occupations.  I  suppose 
that  a  successful  caterer  earns  'a  larger  salary  than 
the  average  college  president.  Of  course,  one  needs  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  different  kinds  of  food  and 
their  proper  preparation,  and  of  purveying  and  kindred 
subjects.  Now  what  does  such  a  girl  want  of  biology 
and  Latin  and  trigonometry  ?  A  school  which  shall  have 
a  department  of  domestic  sciences  is  not  only  a  necessity 
for  girls  like  these  born  caterers,  and  for  women  who 
would  become  professional  cooks,  but  for  every  girl  who 
ever  expects  to  be  mistress  of  a  home.  It  often  makes 
all  the  difference  between  a  happy  and  an  unhappy 
home  whether  the  mistress  knows  how  to  cook  well  and 
to  manage  a  home  or  not.  Even  if  she  is  not  obliged  to 
do  her  own  cooking,  she  should  know  when  it  is  well 
done,  and  how  to  superintend  it.  I  would  advise  even 
those  girls  whose  work  is  to  be  purely  professional  to 
spend,  if  possible,  some  time  in  learning  to  care  for  a 
home,  for  marriage  is,  of  course,  one  of  their  strong 
possibilities. 

The  training  school  should  embrace  departments  for 
many  kinds  of  work,  —  dressmaking,  millinery,  short- 
hand, painting,  sculpture,  journalism, — every  kind  of 
practical  work  by  which  one's  natural  tastes  and  abilities 
incline  her  to  gain  a  livelihood.  The  most  of  us  need  to 
educate  the  hands  as  well  as  the  head.  We  need  to  learn 


MARY  A.   LIVERMORE.  257 

to  do  things  by  doing  them.  Most  pupils  come  out  of 
school  with  no  more  practical  ability  to  gain  a  livelihood 
than  they  had  when  they  entered. 

DOING    ONE    THING   WELL. 

Again,  a  majority  of  pupils  take  up  too  many  studies. 
While  visiting  a  certain  college,  I  was  told  of  a  young 
woman  who  was  laboring  with  nearly  every  study  on  the 
list,  with  insufficient  time  for  any  of  them. 

"I  don't  see,"  I  said  to  the  professor  with  whom  I 
was  speaking,  "as  this  girl  is  going  to  be  fit  for  any- 
thing, even  teaching,  when  she  leaves  college.  She  will 
not  know  enough  of  any  one  thing  to  make  the  knowl- 
edge of  any  value  as  a  bread-winning  acquisition/' 

"  But  think  of  her  mental  unfoldment ! "  she  said. 

When  Anne  Whitney  was  modelling  the  statue  of 
Lief  Ericson  one  day,  I  called  on  her  in  company  with 
Maria  Mitchell,  the  astronomer.  To  my  great  surprise 
the  latter  knew  nothing  of  the  intrepid  Norseman's 
story,  and  could  not  remember  having  ever  heard  of  his 
discoveries.  Yet  she  was  a  superb  student  in  one  of  the 
most  difficult  of  all  sciences.  She  did  one  thing  well, 
and  so,  for  that  matter,  did  Miss  Whitney  in  her 
sculpture. 

When  one  considers  what  a  practical  working  knowl- 
edge of  astronomy  means,  she  realizes  that,  surely,  one 
life  is  too  short  to  gain  eminence,  or  even  standing  room, 
among  astronomers,  and  to  give  any  appreciable  time  to 
the  doing  of  anything  else.  One  must  be  master  of  the 
higher  mathematics,  know  all  the  construction  of  tele- 
scopes, understand  the  laws  which  govern  the  planets 
and  those  which  are  constantly  at  work  in  the  atmosphere, 
and  many  other  difficult  things.  In  fact,  there  is  no  im- 
portant work  or  calling  —  and  there  is  scarcely  a  calling 


258  TALKS    WITH   GREAT    WORKERS. 

that  does  not  entail  important  work  —  that  does  not, 
with  its  main  features  and  correlations,  mean  concentra- 
tion and  absorption,  and  the  letting  go,  or  never  taking 
hold,  to  any  great  extent,  of  most  other  things  in  the 
world. 

GOOD    TASTE    IS    IMPERATIVE. 

A  reform  which  is  imperatively  needed,  in  a  large 
number  of  educational  institutions,  is  in  the  matter  of 
caring  for  the  person,  the  clothing,  the  apartments,  and 
personal  manners.  Every  girl  should  be  taught  that  to 
be  slatternly  in  dress,  rude  or  coarse  in  manner,  if  not 
a  crime,  is  near  to  it.  She  should  be  taught  and  required 
to  keep  her  room  and  bureau  and  closets  and  dress  in 
order,  her  underclothing  and  stockings  whole  and  neat, 
to  enter  and  leave  a  room  properly,  and  to  know  how 
to  greet  people ;  in  short,  her  whole  self  —  physical, 
mental,  and  moral  —  should  receive  benefit  and  training 
from  the  school  she  attends.  I  have  in  mind  a  college 
graduate  who  can  glibly  decline  Latin  nouns,  speak 
German  as  fluently  as  English,  solve  problems  which  it 
makes  one's  head  ache  to  look  at,  but  whose  hair  looks 
like  a  brush  broom;  whose  feet  at  heel  and  toe  come 
through  her  stockings;  whose  clothing  is  little  better 
than  dirty  rags';  and  whose  closets  and  bureau  drawers 
are  simply  places  into  which  to  fling,  without  order  or 
folding,  anything  which  does  not  happen  to  be  in  use. 
This  kind  of  girl  is  the  exception,  but  no  doubt  every 
educational  institution  has  one  or  more  like  her,  and 
each  should  make  provision  for  her  needs. 

The  education  of  women  —  in  spite  of  so  much  to  be 
desired  in  the  present  system  —  is  an  inestimable  privi- 
lege and  blessing.  The  system  of  education  for  both 
sexes  is  bound  to  be  radically  changed  before  long.  The 


MARY  A.   L1VERMORE.  259 

schools,  and  especially  the  high  schools,  will  be  for  the 
pupils,  not  the  pupils  for  the  schools. 

A   CHANGE   HAS    BEEN   WROUGHT. 

As  for  woman's  education,  and  the  changes  it  has 
brought  about  in  her  condition  and  outlook,  it  is  not  only 
her  education,  but  man's  as  well.  The  thought  which  once 
universally  and  necessarily  obtained,  that  every  woman, 
while  young  or  middle-aged,  must  look  to  marriage  as  the 
only  resource  for  providing  for  old  age,  gave  men  the 
idea  that  the  simple  fact  of  their  being  men,  irrespective 
of  their  worth  or  worthlessness,  made  them  something 
which  women  must  have,  and  would,  of  necessity,  accept 
as  husbands.  Thousands  agreed,  in  those  days,  to  ac- 
cept, for  homes,  men  for  whom  they  had  not  even  re- 
spect. There  were  many  love  matches  and  contracts  of 
marriage  where  respect  and  affection  were  the  basis  of 
the  union,  but  a  woman  could  not  then  afford  to  ask  if 
her  wooer,  unless  he  was  one  of  a  number,  was  the  choice 
of  her  heart,  or  in  any  respect  her  ideal  man ;  he  was  her 
one  hope  of  a  home  and  maintenance  in  old  age,  and  it 
was  usually  a  choice  between  him  as  a  husband  and  pau- 
perism. These  inharmonious  and  often  unfit  marriages 
led  to  inharmonious  and  unhappy  families,  and  so  the  evil 
was  increased  and  multiplied.  No  wonder  that,  in  those 
days,  men  became  fully  possessed  of  the  idea  that  they 
owned  the  feminine  half  of  humanity,  and  could  do  with 
it  as  they  would,  and  need  not,  except  at  their  own  sweet 
wills,  make,  in  themselves,  any  changes  in  order  to  be 
lords  and  masters  and  the  desired  of  all  women. 

HIGHER   MARRIAGE    IDEALS. 

But  all  that  has  passed,  and  woman  is  rapidly  taking 
what  belongs  to  her.  She  is  no  longer  dependent  upon 


260  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

any  one  but  herself  for  a  home.  I  visit  many  beautiful 
and  satisfactory  homes  where  no  men  are  members  of  the 
family.  If  the  women  who  make  these  homes  miss  some- 
thing, they  also  gain  something,  for  marriage,  however 
happy,  imposes  restrictions  and  limitations.  The  hun- 
dred most  interesting  and  capable  women  I  know  are  not 
married.  Among  them  are  Susan  B.  Anthony,  Dr. 
Zakrzewska,  Anne  Whitney,  and  many  of  their  peers.  I 
know  it  is  not  for  lack  of  opportunity.  What,  then,  is 
the  reason  ?  It  is  probably  that,  having,  with  the  work 
which  their  professions  bring,  full  and  satisfying  lives, 
and  incomes  larger  than  those  of  the  majority  of  men, 
they  can  afford  to  go  through  life  single,  unless  they 
meet  their  ideals,  —  the  fully  satisfactory  men  whom  they 
would  choose  to  accept  as  life-mates. 

This  new  position  of  woman,  making  her  man's 
friend,  companion,  and  equal,  but  which  enables  her  to 
choose  or  reject  him  as  a  suitor,  not  only  polishes,  refines, 
and  stimulates  him,  as  he,  in  turn,,  polishes,  refines,  and 
stimulates  her,  but  teaches  him  that,  if  he  would  be  de- 
sired as  a  husband,  he  must  make  himself  desirable,  aside 
from  his  power  of  providing  a  home,  and  inspires  him  to 
gain  greater  manliness  and  cultivate  finer  tastes. 


XLIV. 

OUR   UNCROWNED   QUEEN: 

ONE   OF    THE   MOST   INFLUENTIAL  CAREERS   OF   THE 
NINETEENTH   CENTURY. 


THE  truth  that  "  life  develops  from  within  "  was  never 
more  signally  illustrated  than  by  the  circumstances  and 
the  achievements  of  Frances  Willard,  whose  life  has  left 
the  most  important  results  accomplished  by  any  Ameri- 
can woman,  living  or  dead.  When  Isabel,  Lady  Henry 
Somerset,  gave  to  Frances  E.  Willard  the  title  of  "  The 
Uncrowned  Queen  of  America,'7  she  crystallized,  in  that 
expression,  the  salient  truth  of  Miss  Willard's  relation 
to  the  men  and  women  of  her  native  land. 

Our  uncrowned  queen  —  she  reigned  by  Divine  ap- 
pointment; her  sceptre  was  the  Word  of  Christ;  her 
authority  the  law  of  love. 

"BORN  AND  NOURISHED  IN  MIRACLES." 
It  is  a  significant  fact  that  the  royal  souls  who  have 
contributed  most  of  value  to  social  progress,  —  which 
includes  all  moral  and  spiritual  advancement,  —  it  is 
most  significant  that  the  royal  natures  who  have  con- 
tributed most  to  this  general  progress  and  elevation  of 
humanity  have  not  been  born  in  the  purple.  Glancing 
at  even  a  few  in  our  own  country  and  in  our  own  time, 

261 


262  TALKS    WITH   GREAT    WORKERS. 

—  Lincoln,   Garrison,   Emerson,   Lucy   Stone,  Mary  A. 
Livermore,  a  galaxy  that  must  stand  forever  in  shining 
light,  —  we  see  that  each  and  all  were  nurtured  in  early 
self-denial,  and  under  the  limitations  of  poverty. 

The  realm  of  ideals  and  the  realm  of  personal  luxury 
and  self-indulgence  are  antipodes.  Well  is  it  said  of  a 
royal  soul :  — 

"  Born  and  nourished  in  miracles, 
His  feet  were  shod  with  golden  bells." 

The  miracles  are  wrought  outward,  from  within. 
They  are  the  transfiguration  of  circumstances  by  the 
indomitable  and  irresistible  force  of  character. 

EARLY    ENVIRONMENT   AND    INFLUENCES. 

Frances  Elizabeth  Willard  was  born  in  Churchville 
(near  Kochester),  N.Y.,  on  Sept.  28,  1839,  and  died  at 
the  Empire  Hotel,  New  York  City,  on  Feb.  18,  1898. 
Her  parents,  Josiah  F.  and  Mary  Willard,  were  of  the 
best  New  England  type.  The  Willards  traced  their  de- 
scent from  a  notable  English  forefather.  One  of  them 
was  the  first  settler  of  Concord,  Mass.  They  were  all 
people  of  character  and  aspiration.  When  Frances  was 
two  years  of  age,  her  parents  removed  to  Oberlin,  0., 

—  then  the  most  noted  educational  centre  in  the  West ; 
and  again,  five  years  later,  to  Janesville,  Wis.,  which 
was  in  a  partial  wilderness,  and  there  they  lived  the 
simple  and  hardy  life  of  pioneers. 

Mr.  Willard  was  a  man  of  intellectual  force  and  cul- 
ture. He  became  one  of  the  leaders  and  shapers  of  the 
political  destiny  of  his  adopted  State,  represented  his 
district  in  the  Legislature,  and  contributed  in  various 
ways  to  contemporary  progress.  Mrs.  Willard  was  a 
woman  of  the  most  remarkable  character.  Her  spiritual 


FRANCES  E.    WILLARD.  263 

strength  was  great  —  born  of  religion  and  fervent  piety. 
The  good  old  terms  are  not  less,  but  rather  more  signifi- 
cant than  ours,  in  that  this  fervent  and  faithful  and  all- 
conquering  piety  is  the  power  of  so  relating  one's  soul 
to  God, —  of  so  drawing  energy  from  the  infinite  store 
of  Divine  energy,  —  that  a  character  thus  constantly  fed 
becomes  an  illuminating  force.  "  Her  mind  was  always 
occupied  with  great  themes,"  said  her  daughter,  in  after 
years. 

What  a  suggestive  lesson  lies  in  those  words !  It  is 
not  too  much  to  say  that  the  youth  or  the  maiden  who 
will  resolutely  repel  and  trample  upon  any  tendency  to 
unworthy  words  and  thoughts, —  the  petty,  the  envious, 
the  irritable,  the  trifling,  or  the  despondent,  each  of 
which  is  a  sort  of  moral  aqua  regia  eating  away  the  pure 
gold  of  character,  —  and  resolutely  occupies  the  mind 
only  with  great  themes,  will  achieve  character,  power, 
nobility,  happiness,  in  a  word,  success,  in  the  truest 
meaning  of  the  term. 

Here,  then,  we  see  Frances,  a  little  maid  of  eight 
years,  with  a  brother  and  sister,  the  one  a  little  older, 
the  other  younger  than  herself,  on  this  prairie  farm, 
afar  from  the  great  centres  of  culture  and  learning ; 
afar  from  what  the  world  calls  "  social  advantages  ; "  in 
a  home  where  there  was  no  wealth  in  material  ways,  — 
a  home  of  frugal  fare,  of  honest  toil,  of  the  free  prairie 
air,  —  but  a  home  where  books  were  valued  and  were 
read ;  where  the  library,  if  small  in  quantity,  was  choice 
in  quality ;  where  the  thought  and  movements  of  the 
day  were  intelligently  discussed;  where  there  was  a  re- 
finement of  feeling  and  exaltation  of  purpose  that  Beacon 
street,  or  Mayfair,  or  the  Faubourg  might  well  revere ;  a 
home  furnished  —  not  with  upholstery  and  bric-a-brac, 
—  but  with  ideas  and  ideals.  Intelligence,  culture,  as- 


264  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

piration,  and  moral  earnestness  made  up  the  atmosphere 
of  the  simple  home.  Was  this  a  childhood  to  be  com- 
miserated ?  Eather  was  it  one  of  the  utmost  favor  for 
physical  development,  intellectual  growth,  and  moral  un- 
folding. There  was  no  pursuit  of  false  gods  in  this 
household. 

A    COLLEGE    STUDENT    AND    TEACHER. 

At  "Forest  Home,"  as  the  Willards  called  their  cot- 
tage, the  children  were  taught  by  their  mother  and  a 
governess  for  some  years.  When  she  was  seventeen, 
Frances  entered  a  "  Female  College  "  in  Milwaukee,  and 
at  the  age  of  twenty  she  and  her  sister  both  entered  the 
Northwestern  College  at  Evanston,  where  she  was  gradu- 
ated. In  her  autobiography  she  says :  — 

"  Between  1858,  when  I  began,  and  in  1874,  when  I 
forever  ceased  to  be  a  pedagogue,  I  had  thirteen  sepa- 
rate seasons  of  teaching,  in  eleven  separate  institutions 
and  six  separate  towns ;  my  pupils  in  all  numbering 
about  two  thousand.  In  my  summer  vacation  at  Forest 
Home,  1858,  I  taught  our  district  school;  in  my  own 
home  town  of  Evanston  I  taught  the  public  school  one 
term ;  in  Harlem,  two  terms ;  in  Kankakee  Academy, 
one  term ;  in  my  alma  mater,  the  Northwestern  Female 
College,  two ;  in  Pittsburg  Female  College,  three ;  in  the 
Grove  School,  Evanston,  one  year ;  in  Genesee  Wesley  an 
Seminary,  at  Lima,  N.Y.,  three  terms;  the  Evanston 
College  for  Ladies,  two  years;  the  Woman's  College, 
one  year ;  and  I  was  a  professor  in  the  Northwestern 
University  one  year.  Nor  did  I  relinquish  any  of  these 
situations  save  of  my  own  free  will,  and  in  every  case 
but  one  I  had  from  the  authorities  a  warm  invitation  to 
return.  This  I  say  very  gratefully  and  gladly."  Her 
position  as  president  of  the  University,  which  held 


FRANCES  E.    WILLARD.  265 

radiant  promise  at  the  time,  was  resigned  because  she 
could  not  conscientiously  cooperate  with  the  trustees  in 
a  certain  matter,  and  to  Frances  Willard  the  law  of 
moral  uprightness  was  the  very  breath  of  life.  Never, 
elsewhere,  was  an  inflexible  devotion  to  conscientious 
convictions  combined  with  such  enthralling  and  entranc- 
ing winsomeness  of  character. 

SELF-RELIANT,    YET    TOLERANT. 

She  might  differ  from  you,  and  hold  her  own  way 
uninfluenced  by  any  conceivable  argument,  but  she  was 
so  full  of  love,  so  full  of  charm  and  overflowing  sweet- 
ness and  radiance,  that  difference  was  never  discord. 
Miss  Willard  had,  indeed,  a  most  wonderful  gift  for 
"  speaking  the  truth  in  love."  She  was  the  faithful 
friend  in  every  relation  of  social  life ;  never  obtruding 
counsel,  but  with  an  exquisite  tact  that  was  almost  divina- 
tion, ministering  spiritually,  in  an  unconscious  way  that 
was  the  inevitable  result  of  her  love  and  her  wise  bene- 
ficence. What  words  are  these,  —  which  are  from  a 
letter  she  wrote  to  Mrs.  Moody,  after  the  great  evange- 
list, whom  she  had  been  assisting,  refused  to  allow  her 
again  on  the  platform  with  him,  because  of  her  willing- 
ness to  fellowship,  as  a  speaker,  with  a  woman  of  moral 
power,  but  unorthodox  views,  — what  ringing  words  are 
these  that  she  wrote  !  — 

"  In  the  sacred  communion  of  work  for  poor  humanity, 
I  dare  not  say,  '  You  may  come/  and  '  you  must  not.' 
*  With  you  I  will  speak  on  the  same  platform,  —  with 
you  I  will  not.7  Rather  let  the  burden  of  this  solemn 
choice  rest  on  those  who  come ;  and  whosoever  will  may 
work  with  me,  if  only  she  brings  earnest  purpose,  devout 
soul,  irreproachable  moral  character." 


266  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 


HER   FIRST    FOREIGN    SOJOURN. 

The  two  years  from  1868  to  1870,  Miss  Willard  passed 
in  Europe,  sojourning,  observing,  and  studying  in  Lon- 
don, Paris,  Berlin,  Rome,  and  Florence,  in  an  uncon- 
scious period  of  preparation  for  her  great  work,  which 
was  prepared  already  for  her,  and  awaited  her  coming. 
Truly  had  life  begun  to  bloom  for  her.  The  home  of 
"  plain  living  and  high  thinking  "  that  had  nurtured  her 
childhood  fixed  the  moral  earnestness  of  her  character, 
which  constantly  found  expression  in  deeds.  Her  edu- 
cation was  liberal;  her  sister,  whose  life  was  so  early 
transplanted  to  the  world  beyond,  was  commemorated  in 
her  book,  "  Nineteen  Beautiful  Years,"  —  a  book  which 
made  itself  so  widely  felt  as  to  gain  for  her  a  multitude 
of  friends.  To  her  broad  learning  and  her  extended  cult- 
ure she  had  added  the  discipline  of  teaching,  the  experi- 
ence of  travel,  the  study  of  art  and  of  life. 

To  this  woman,  then,  in  the  opening  maturity  of  her 
power  when  a  little  over  thirty  years  of  age,  came,  one 
day,  after  her  return  from  this  first  European  trip,  two 
letters.  They  were  the  messengers  of  fate,  indeed,  and 
Portia  need  not  have  waited  Bassanio's  choice  of  the 
caskets  with  keener  feeling  than  that  with  which  a  sym- 
pathetic friend,  looking  on,  would  have  watched  Frances 
Willard's  choice  in  the  decision  between  two  courses  of 
life  represented  by  those  two  letters. 

It  was  the  moment  of  destiny,  though  she  knew  it 
not.  From  the  point  where  she  stood,  two  paths  opened, 
and  each  entreated  her  to  enter.  The  one  was  adorned 
with  honors  and  emoluments;  the  other  was  bare  and 
forbidding.  The  one  apparently  led  through  flowers  and 
sunshine ;  the  other  showed  but  stony  ground  for  bleed- 
ing feet  to  toil  upward.  The  one  offered  her  a  salaried 


FRANCES  E.    WILLARD.  267 

educational  position  in  a  leading  college  where  the  con- 
genial atmosphere  of  scholarship  and  literature  allured 
her.  The  other  offered  her  the  presidency  of  the  re- 
cently formed  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union  of 
Chicago — an  organization  then  poor  and  obscure,  the 
position  unsalaried  and  unattended  by  worldly  honors  or 
rewards.  The  one  offered  her  a  life  that  would  be,  to 
some  extent,  ministered  to.  The  other  offered  her  only 
a  place  to  minister. 

Nor  was  the  attraction  of  the  former  wholly  a  selfish 
one.  Her  father  had  died  ;  her  mother,  whom  she  idol- 
ized, was  mostly  dependent  on  her  exertions  for  support. 
Under  such  conditions,  the  hour  of  destiny  came,  and 
offered  her  the  choice  of  a  congenial  life  with  compara- 
tive financial  ease,  or  of  a  life  of  infinite  hardship,  and 
one  that  could  hold  no  promise  or  prophecy  of  earthly 
reward.  Which  would  Frances  Willard  choose  ? 


TWO    MORAL    HEROINES. 

It  was  a  crisis  with  her,  and  one  especially  weighted 
by  the  thought  of  her  mother.  But  that  mother  was  a 
moral  heroine.  She  had  not  reared  her  daughter  to  seek 
ease  or  indulgence,  but  to  seek  service. 

She  had  taught  her  the  great  lesson  that  we  do  not 
come  into  this  world  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  min- 
ister. The  angel  of  the  Lord  was  with  her  and  His 
glory  encompassed  her  round  about,  and  her  word,  her 
life,  was  then  and  there  consecrated  to  that  great  work 
which  began  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  and  which  has 
grown  to  the  healing  of  the  nations. 

Nothing  in  all  romance  is  more  deeply  engaging  than 
Frances  E.  Willard's  autobiographical  record  of  those 
opening  days  when,  in  Chicago,  she  entered  upon  the 


268  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

work  for  whose  cause  she  had  come  into  this  world.  We 
find  her  saying  : 

"  Many  a  time  I  went  without  my  noonday  lunch  down- 
town because  I  had  no  money  with  which  to  buy,  and 
many  a  mile  did  I  walk  because  I  had  not  the  prerequi- 
site nickel  for  street-car  riding.  .  .  . 

"  But  for  several  months  I  went  on  this  way,  and  my 
life  never  had  a  happier  season.  For  the  first  time  I 
knew  the  gnawings  of  hunger,  whereat  I  used  to  smile 
and  say  to  myself,  as  I  elbowed  my  way  among  the 
wretched  people  to  whom  I  was  sent,  '  I  'm  a  better 
friend  than  you  dream;  I  know  more  about  you  than 
you  think,  for,  bless  God,  I  'm  hungry  too.' " 

Miss  Willard  did  not  at  first,  nor,  indeed,  until  after 
three  years  of  service,  accept  the  position  of  president 
of  the  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union.  In  1879, 
however,  she  yielded  to  the  constant  and  increasing  de- 
mands, and  accepted,  with  all  her  holy  earnestness,  the 
work  "  for  God,  and  home,  and  native  land." 

HER    MARRIAGE   ENGAGEMENT    AND*REAL    ROMANCE. 

It  is  not  indiscreet  to  say  here  that,  in  her  early  girl- 
hood, Frances  E.  Willard  was  the  promised  wife  of  a 
gentleman  who  is  now  a  prominent  Bishop  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church.  To  this,  in  her  autobiography, 
she  thus  alludes  : 

"  In  1861-1862,  for  three-quarters  of  a  year,  I  wore  a  ring 
and  acknowledged  an  allegiance  based  on  the  supposition 
that  an  intellectual  comradeship  was  sure  to  deepen  into 
unity  of  heart.  How  grieved  I  was  over  the  discovery  of 
my  mistake,  my  journals  of  that  epoch  could  reveal.  Of 
the  real  romance  of  my  life,  unguessed  save  by  a  trio 
of  close  friends,  these  pages  may  not  tell.  When  I  have 
passed  from  sight  I  would  be  glad  to  have  it  known,  for 


FRANCES  E.    WILLARD.  269 

I  believe  it  might  contribute  to  a  better  understanding 
between  good  men  and  women.  For  the  rest,  I  have  been 
blessed  with  friendships  rich,  rare,  and  varied,  all  lying 
within  the  temperate  zone  of  a  great  heart's  geography, 
which  has  been  called  '  cold '  simply  because  no  Stanley 
has  explored  its  tropic  climate,  and  set  down  as  '  wholly 
island'  because  no  adventurous  Balboa  has  viewed  its 
wide  Pacific  sea." 

This  allusion  explains  much  to  those  who  read  between 
the  lines. 

Miss  Willard's  work  as  the  chief  executive  of  that  great 
organization,  the  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union, 
condensed,  within  a  period  of  nineteen  years,  experiences 
and  achievements  that  might  almost  have  occupied  ten 
times  that  number.  Indeed,  one  impressive  feature  of 
her  life  was  its  intensity  and  rapidity.  Of  its  swiftly 
passing  events,  she  herself  has  said : 

"The  wise  ones  tell  us  that  we  change  utterly  once 
in  every  seven  years,  so  that,  from  the  vantage-ground  of 
life's  serene  meridian,  I  have  looked  back  upon  the  seven 
persons  whom  I  know  most  about :  the  welcome  child, 
the  romping  girl,  the  happy  student,  the  roving  teacher, 
the  tireless  traveller,  the  temperance  organizer,  and  lastly, 
the  politician  and  advocate  of  women's  rights.  Since  all 
of  these  are  sweetly  dead  and  gone,  why  should  not  their 
biographies  and  epitaphs,  perchance  their  eulogies,  be 
written  by  their  best-informed  and  most  indulgent 
critic?" 

HER   INTENSE    SPIRITUAL    VITALITY. 

She  had  the  intense  spiritual  vitality  that  swiftly  trans- 
mutes circumstances  and  elements  into  accomplished  re- 
sults ;  she  achieved  very  rapidly,  and  her  nineteen  years' 
presidency  of  the  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union 


270  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

comprehends  a  vast  and  varied  work  in  education,  social 
training,  industrial  and  political  ethics,  and  the  develop- 
ment of  a  higher  atmosphere  of  household  love  and  aspi- 
ration in  the  homes  of  America,  as  well  as  the  specific 
prohibition  of  intemperance  for  which  it  stood. 

Frances  Willard  was  a  woman  who  touched  life  at  all 
points.  She  had  the  widest  range  of  interests,  the  most 
all-embracing  sympathy,  and  that  charity  which  not  only 
thinketh  no  evil,  but  which  was  so  creative  in  its  kind- 
ling love  as  fairly  to  transform  evil  into  good.  She  was 
really  more  alive  than  most  people,  with  the  larger  life 
of  the  spirit.  Her  tact  in  organization  was  wonderful. 
She  had  excellent  judgment  in  selecting  leaders  and  offi- 
cers, and  securing  for  them  the  most  favorable  conditions. 
To  praise  them,  to  hear  them  praised,  was  her  delight. 
She  had  a  felicitous  way  of  always  placing  each  person  at 
his  best.  She  was  overflowing  with  generous  enthusi- 
asms. 

For  many  years  past,  her  home  has  been  in  Evanston, 
near  Chicago,  in  "  Rest  Cottage,"  as  the  house  was  well 
called.  Some  six  years  ago  her  mother  passed  on  to  the 
life  beyond,  and  this  grief,  combined  with  the  great  ex- 
haustion of  her  work,  made  inroads  upon  her  health. 
Lady  Henry  Somerset,  her  best  beloved  and  nearest 
friend,  induced  her  to  go  to  England,  where,  for  some 
months,  she  enjoyed,  not  leisure,  but  a  change  of  activ- 
ities. 

Intellectually,  she  was  the  peer  of  the  greatest  men 
and  women  of  her  time,  and  in  London  she  received  a 
recognition  beyond  that  ever  accorded  to  any  other  Amer- 
ican woman,  save  Mrs.  Stowe,  who  visited  London  just 
after  the  publication  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  "  bearing 
her  blushing  honors  full  upon  her." 


FRANCES  E.    WILLARD.  271 


HER    FRIENDSHIP    WITH    LADY    SOMERSET. 

No  sketch  of  the  life  and  work  of  Miss  Willard  could 
be  in  the  least  adequate  which  did  not  recognize  the  de- 
termining invigoration  and  joy  brought  into  her  life  by 
that  one  perfect  and  ideally  beautiful  friendship  be- 
tween herself  and  Isabel,  Lady  Henry  Somerset.  It  is 
not  merely  notable  because  the  peeress  of  the  court  of 
St.  James  is  "  the  daughter  of  a  hundred  earls,'7  but  be- 
cause she  is  so  great  in  gifts,  in  culture,  in  spiritual  su- 
premacy, that  her  rich  and  varied  qualities  of  mind  and 
heart  far  transcend  rank  and  social  prestige.  That  such 
a  woman  loved  and  honored  Miss  Willard  as  her  closest 
chosen  friend  is  the  mutual  glory,  as  it  was  the  mutual 
happiness,  of  both.  Lady  Henry's  companionship  has 
been  the  crowning  personal  joy  of  Frances  Willard's  life. 
Here  was  perfect  sympathy  of  comprehension,  a  mutual 
response  in  high  thought  and  noble  effort,  and  a  perfect 
joy  of  tender  companionship. 

HER   MENTAL    HOSPITALITY. 

Few  women  have  ever  revealed  such  wide  mental  hos- 
pitality as  has  Miss  Willard.  Her  annual  address  before 
the  vast  convention  over  which  she  presided  with  such 
faultless  grace,  such  serene  dignity,  such  unsurpassed 
power,  was  always  a  marvellous  compendium  of  allusions 
to  the  great  events  of  the  past  year.  She  caught  —  no 
one  knew  how,  in  her  busy  life  —  the  latest  note  of  prog- 
ress in  political  activities,  scientific  experiment,  Edi- 
son's and  Tesla's  wonderful  discoveries  in  the  realm  of 
higher  potencies,  the  results  of  polar  and  other  expedi- 
tions, the  latest  development  in  thought  and  scholarly 
research.  Nothing  was  foreign  to  her. 

The  untiring  and  unfailing  energy  that  characterized 


272  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKEPS. 

Frances  Willard  was  simply  due  to  her  preponderating 
spiritual  life.  She  was  a  woman  of  delicate  physique, 
with  her  slender  figure,  her  Madonna-like  face,  fair  as  a 
lily,  framed  in  golden-brown  hair  and  lighted  by  the  blue 
eyes,  shining  as  if  with  radiant  thought.  But  her  capac- 
ity for  work  was  unlimited.  During  long  days  of  travel, 
letters,  notes,  data  for  lectures,  articles  for  newspapers, 
would  fly  from  her  hand,  and  a  lecture  engagement,  per- 
haps, await  her  at  the  close  of  the  day's  journey.  She 
had  an  organization  peculiarly  receptive  to  the  Divine 
energy,  or  such  ceaseless  activity  would  have  been  impos- 
sible. 

THE  BEAUTY  OF  HER  CLOSING  HOURS. 

Her  closing  hours  on  earth  were  full  of  beauty  and  up- 
lifting. She  realized  that  she  stood  on  the  threshold  of 
the  life  beyond,  and  her  last  words  were :  "  It  will  be 
beautiful  to  be  with  God."  She  has  entered  on  a  higher 
order  of  energy  and  achievement.  The  heavenly  vision 
was  early  revealed  to  her,  and  never  did  she  falter  in 
her  obedience.  "  She  was  a  character  more  perfectly 
human,  more  exquisitely  divine,  than  any  other  I  have 
ever  met,"  says  Lady  Henry  Somerset. 

Her  memory  will  be  to  us  all  an  inspiration  to  choose 
the  higher  rather  than  the  lower  life ;  it  will  impress 
upon  us  all  the  great  truth  that  sweetness  and  sincerity 
and  sympathy  are  elements  of  strength,  and  that  the 
constant  effort  to  lift  up  the  heart  to  the  Divine  is  the 
only  measure  of  a  true  success. 


XLV. 
THE  ELEVATION   OF  WOMANHOOD. 


"  Is  there  no  way  to  put  an  end  to  me  ?  " 
It  was  a  very  small  girl  who  stood  before  her  mother, 
asking  this  strange  question.  She  had  been  reading  the 
Bible,  and  the  passage  which  chained  her  attention,  and 
roused  all  her  indignation,  was  the  declaration,  "  Thy  de- 
sire shall  be  to  thy  husband,  and  he  shall  rule  over  thee." 
She  was  a  very  thoughtful  child,  and  in  her  veins  was 
splendid  fighting  blood,  her  great-grandfather  having 
been  killed  in  the  French  and  Indian  war,  and  her  grand- 
father serving  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  It  did  not 
seem  to  her  that  a  world  wherein  one  sex  is  in  subjection 
to  the  other,  and  that  by  Divine  command,  is  a  place  in 
which  she  cared  to  remain.  Her  mother  tried  to  convince 
her  that  it  is  a  woman's  duty  to  submit,  but  found  the 
attempt  utterly  futile.  The  indignant  child  soon  after- 
wards determined  to  learn  Greek  and  Hebrew,  that  she 
might  decide  for  herself  whether  this  and  other  disturb- 
ing texts  are  correctly  translated.  It  was  with  this  re- 
solve that  LUCY  STONE  began  her  career  as  one  of  woman's 
most  effective  champions. 

She  was  born  about  three  miles  from  West  Brookfield, 
Mass.,  Aug.  13,  1818 ;  next  to  the  youngest  of  a  family 
of  nine.  Her  father,  just  and  stern,  but  seldom  tender, 
had  imbibed  freely  the  uncontradicted  idea  of  his  time, 

273 


274  TALKS   WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

that  a  man  should  be  absolute  ruler  over  his  own  house- 
hold. Women  were  the  servants,  the  housekeepers,  the 
child-bearers,  with  no  special  intellectual  needs  or  abil- 
ities. If  the  women  of  that  day  did  not  entirely  sub- 
scribe to  this  doctrine,  no  one  was  the  wiser  for  their 
mental  expostulations.  Bred  by  such  parents  and  nur- 
tured in  such  soil,  how  there  came  to  be  born  in  the  soul 
of  this  woman-child,  Lucy,  such  hot  protests  against  ex- 
isting conditions,  such  high  resolves  for  future  action,  is 
a  mystery  which  must  remain  unsolved. 

IS    THE    CHILD    CRAZY  ? 

Francis  Stone  furnished  means  for  sending  his  sons  to 
college,  and  was  told  by  his  wife  that  his  daughter  also 
desired  a  college  education.  "  Is  the  child  crazy  ?  "  de- 
manded the  astonished  man ;  and  he  put  the  matter  by 
once  for  all.  Lucy  nevertheless  resolved  to  go  to  col- 
lege. That  which  her  father  refused,  nature  and  her 
own  labor  should  furnish. 

No  one  thought  particularly  about  this  farmer's  daugh- 
ter who  wandered  through  the  pastures  and  over  the 
hills,  picking  berries  arid  gathering  chestnuts  for  mar- 
ket. She  was  a  simply  clad  little  maid,  engaged  in  an 
ordinary  task ;  or  so  it  seemed  to  those  who  chanced  to 
pass  her  by  and  to  note  her  occupation ;  but  into  that 
berry-pail  and  chestnut-basket  was  dropped  the  future  of 
womankind.  Little  Lucy  Stone  was  picking  berries  and 
gathering  chestnuts  for  the  world.  If  the  young  girl's 
odd  sayings  and  strange  questions  were  known  at  all, 
they  were  ascribed  to  ignorance  of  customs  and  the  pre- 
sumption of  youth,  and  were  passed  by  as  of  no  moment. 

Far  and  near  she  sought  the  berries  and  discovered 
the  chestnuts,  which  commodities  were  exchanged  for 
books.  During  all  hours  which  she  could  snatch  from 


LUCY  STONE.  275 

i 

household  tasks,  and  in  the  evening,  she  studied  till  the 
hours  grew  small  and  the  candle  short.  The  berry- 
picker  became  the  meagrely-paid  teacher,  —  teaching  be- 
ing one  of  the  half  dozen  occupations  then  open  to 
women,  —  and  at  twenty-five  Lucy  Stone  had  earned 
enough  to  enable  her  to  start  for  college. 

SHE    SLEPT    ON    DECK.     * 

On  her  way  to  Oberlin  —  the  only  college  at  that  time 
where  negroes  and  women  were  admitted  as  students  — 
the  maiden,  hoarding  with  most  rigid  economy  the  small 
sum  she  had  saved,  slept,  with  a  number  of  others  as 
poor  as  herself,  on  the  deck  of  a  steamer  on  Lake  Erie, 
with  a  grain-sack  for  a  pillow,  amid  the  cattle  and  other 
freight. 

She  worked  for  three  cents  an  hour,  boarded  herself 
on  fifty  cents  a  week,  did  her  own  laundry  work,  taught 
in  a  preparatory  school,  and  was  still  among  the  best 
prepared  and  most  advanced  pupils  of  her  classes. 

At  graduation  our  heroine  refused  to  prepare  an  essay 
because  she  would  not  be  allowed  to  read  it  herself,  but 
be  obliged  to  depend  on  some  male  student.  After  this 
she  began  at  once  —  in  spite  of  the  remonstrances  of 
those  who  declared  it  unscriptural  and  unwomanly  —  to 
speak  for  enslaved  women  and  the  manacled  negroes. 
No  longer  could  she  be  regarded  as  commonplace.  Her 
trials  were  severe.  The  world's  prejudice,  dulness,  and 
indifference  forbade  all  thought  of  speedy  conquest. 

HER    FIRST    SUFFRAGE    LECTURE. 

She  gave  her  first  woman-suffrage  lecture  from  the 
pulpit  of  her  brother's  church  in  Gardner,  Mass.,  in 
1847  ;  and  soon  afterwards  was  engaged  to  speak  for  the 
Anti-Slavery  Society.  By  the  clearest  logic,  and  by  the 


27fi  TALKS    WITH   GREAT   WORKERS. 

tenderest  persuasiveness  ever  employed  by  mortal,  and 
by  a  voice  so  beautiful  that  to  once  hear  it  was  to  re- 
member it  always,  and  by  the  curiosity  of  thousands  who 
had  never  heard  a  woman  speaker, — she  secured  im- 
mense audiences.  People  went  to  see  a  huge-figured, 
brazen-faced  Amazon,  and  were  confronted  by  a  wee 
woman  who  looked  and  spoke  like  an  angel,  albeit  an 
angel  charged  w^th  a  very  important  and  imperative  mes- 
sage which  was  to  be  delivered  at  all  hazards. 

"  I  remember  well  the  first  time  I  ever  saw  her,"  de- 
clares Mary  A.  Livermore.  "  She  wore  a  bloomer  suit, 
and  was  the  sweetest  and  prettiest  thing  I  ever  saw." 

She  was  engaged  to  lecture  on  woman's  rights  on 
week-day  nights,  and  on  anti-slavery  on  Sunday  even- 
ings. She  arranged  her  own  meetings,  fastened  up  her 
own  handbills,  and  took  up  her  own  collections. 

A  Maiden  minister  who  had  been  requested  to  an- 
nounce one  of  her  meetings  did  so  in  these  words :  "  I 
am  asked  to  give  notice  that  a  hen  will. attempt  to  crow 
like  a  cock  in  the  town  hall  at  five  o'clock  to-morrow 
night.  Those  who  like  such  music  will  of  course  at- 
tend." 

SHE   WAS    EVERYWFIERE    PERSECUTED. 

One  cold  night  when  she  was  lecturing  in  a  Connecti- 
cut church  a  pane  of  glass  was  removed  from  the  win- 
dow, and  through  a  hose  she  was  deluged  with  cold 
water.  Wrapping  a  shawl  about  her,  she  continued  her 
speech.  At  an  open-air  meeting  on  Cape  Cod,  where 
there  were  a  number  of  speakers,  the  demonstrations  of 
the  mob  were  so  threatening  that  a  number  slipped  away 
from  the  platform,  leaving  Lucy  Stone  and  Stephen 
Foster  to  face  the  rioters  alone. 

u  You  better  go ;  they  are  coming,"  she  said  to  Foster. 


LUCY  STONE.  277 

"But  who  will  take  care  of  you? "  was  the  answer. 

At  that  moment  the  ringleader  of  the  mob,  a  burly  fel- 
low with  a  club,  sprang  upon  the  platform.  With  no 
sign  of  fear  in  her  face  or  in  her  calm,  sweet  tones,  the 
lecturer  said,  "This  gentleman  will  take  care  of  me." 

And  verily  the  "  gentleman  "  did.  Tucking  her  arm 
under  his,  and  warding  off  the  crowd  with  his  disengaged 
hand,  he  piloted  her  to  a  place  of  safety  and  stood  by 
her,  weapon  in  hand,  while  —  mounted  on  a  stump  —  she 
addressed  the  mob  on  the  enormity  of  their  conduct,  and 
so  wrought  upon  them  that  they  took  up  a  collection  of 
twenty  dollars  to  pay  Foster  for  his  coat,  which  had  been 
ruined  in  their  vigorous  treatment  of  him. 

At  many  meetings  where  there  were  several  speakers, 
no  one  could  get  a  hearing  but  Lucy  Stone.  In  New 
York  the  rioters  were  so  determined  that  the  speakers 
should  not  be  heard  that  William  Henry  Channing  pro- 
posed that  the  meeting  be  adjourned ;  but  Lucretia  Mott, 
who  was  presiding,  refused  to  adjourn  until  the  hour  set 
for  the  close  of  the  meeting.  Howls  and  cat-calls 
drowned  the  voices  of  speaker  after  speaker,  but  when 
Lucy  Stone  rose,  silence  and  good  order  prevailed. 
When  the  next  speaker  began  the  uproar  recommenced, 
and  continued  to  the  end.  After  the  adjournment  Lucy 
Stone  took  some  of  the  ringleaders  indignantly  to  task 
for  their  behavior. 

"Oh,  well,"  was  the  reply,  "you  needn't  complain  of 
us ;  we  kept  still  for  you." 

SHE   MARRIED,    BUT    KEPT    HER    MAIDEN    NAME. 

In  1855  Lucy  Stone  married  Henry  Blackwell,  a  young 
Cincinnati  merchant,  to  whom  justice  and  progress  were 
as  dear  as  unto  herself,  and  who  has  always  labored  for 
woman's  cause. 


278  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

The  two  at  the  time  of  their  marriage  published  a 
joint  protest  against  the  law  which  at  that  time  gave  the 
husband  entire  control  of  his  wife's  person,  property, 
and  earnings.  The  taking  of  her  husband's  name  in 
marriage  seemed  to  Lucy  Stone  a  sign  of  vassalage  to 
him,  and  as  several  prominent  clergymen  assured  her 
that  there  was  no  law  requiring  it,  she  retained  her  own 
name  with  her  husband's  entire  approval. 

Together  the  two  continued  their  bombardment  against 
the  strongholds  of  injustice ;  fighting  against  terrible 
odds,  with  few  weapons,  but  gaining  victory  after  vic- 
tory, till  hundreds  of  wrongs  were  exposed  and  scores  of 
laws  changed,  till  hundreds  of  occupations  were  made 
possible  to  women,  till  the  movement  to  grant  women 
equal  suffrage  and  equal  opportunities  with  man  was 
given  a  momentum  which  must  send  it  on  till  its  work  is 
perfectly  accomplished. 

You  have  heard  again  and  again  of  this  heroine's  later 
life ;  of  the  tender  motherhood  and  sweet  home  life  in 
the  pleasant  Dorchester  house  by  the  sea,  into  which 
were  welcomed  all  who  were  without  homes  or  in  need 
of  comfort  or  counsel;  of  the  hard-earned  honors  and 
the  expressions  of  love  and  gratitude  showered  at  last 
on  one  who  had  ever  sought  usefulness  rather  than 
greatness. 


XLVI. 

THE  BEIGHT   SIDE   OF  LITERARY  LIFE, 
AND  POINTS  FOR  YOUNG  WRITERS. 


BORN  and  reared  in  Wisconsin,  Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox, 
although  a  resident  of  New  York,  is  still  faithful  to  the 
ideals  and  aspirations  of  the  young  and  vigorous  Western 
State  in  which  she  first  saw  the  light.  She  began  writ- 
ing at  an  early  age,  and  still  has  in  her  possession  child- 
ish verses,  composed  when  she  was  only  eight  years 
old. 

She  was,  however,  far  from  any  literary  centre ;  she 
had  no  one  upon  whom  she  might  rely  for  advice  as  to 
her  methods  ;  and  she  had  no  influential  friends,  for  her 
family  was  not  a  wealthy  one.  The  usual  difficulties,  so 
familiar  to  all  beginners,  met  her  at  every  step ;  discour- 
agements were  endured  day  after  day  and  year  after 
year.  After  a  while  she  began  writing  for  various  peri- 
odicals. Her  first  poems  appeared  in  the  "New  York 
Mercury,"  the  "  Waverly  Magazine,"  and  Leslie's  pub- 
lications. It  was  from  the  publishing-house  of  Frank 
Leslie  she  received  her  first  check.  Her  income  from 
literary  work  was  very  small,  and  recognition  came  quite 
slowly.  But  courage,  and  patience,  and  fortitude  finally 
won  the  day. 


279 


280  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 


HER   MOST    FAMOUS    POEMS. 

One  of  her  most  famous  poems,  beginning,  "  Laugh, 
and  the  world  laughs  with  you,'7  was  written  about  Feb- 
ruary, 1883,  at  Madison,  Wis.  She  had  talked  with  a 
friend  who  had  been  bereaved  by  death  in  her  house- 
hold j  later,  while  dressing  for  an  inaugural  ball,  given 
in  honor  of  the  governor  of  Wisconsin,  she  was  startled 
to  think  how  soon  the  mind  turns  from  stories  of  sorrow 
to  scenes  of  gayety.  Thus  she  formed  the  idea  of  this 
famous  poem.  It  originally  appeared  in  the  "  New  York 
Sun,"  and  the  author  received  five  dollars  for  it.  Subse- 
quently an  attempt  was  made  to  pirate  the  verses  as  the 
composition  of  another;  but  the  effort  was,  happily,  a 
complete  failure.  The  poem  embodying  the  idea,  — 

"  A  question  is  never  settled 
Until  it  is  settled  right," 

with  which  W.  J.  Bryan  concludes  his  book,  was  written 
by  her  after  hearing  a  gentleman  make  a  remark  in  those 
words  at  the  conclusion  of  a  heated  argument  on  the 
single-tax  question.  The  gentleman  was  afterwards  told 
that  Lincoln  had  made  use  of  this  exact  expression 
years  ago.  But  neither  the  gentleman  in  question,  nor 
Mrs.  Wilcox  herself,  had  ever  heard  the  expression 
before. 

"  The  Two  Glasses,"  one  of  her  brightest  poems,  was 
written  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  Although  this  was  a 
"  temperance  poem,"  she  had  never,  up  to  that  time,  seen 
a  glass  of  beer  or  wine.  This  poem,  too,  was  pirated  by 
one  who  pretended  to  be  the  author. 

"The  Birth  of  the  Opal"  was  suggested  by  Herman 
Marcus,  the  Broadway  jeweller,  who  advanced  the  idea 


ELLA    WHEELER    WILCOX.  281 

of  the  opal  being  the  child  of  the  sunlight  and  moon- 
light. 

"  Wherever  You  Are  "  originally  appeared  in  "  Leslie's 
Popular  Monthly."  A  young  man  who  had  served  a 
term  in  Auburn  prison  read  this  poem,  and  it  became 
the  means  of  his  reformation.  Mrs.  Wilcox  lent  him  a 
helping  hand,  and  he  is  to-day  a  hard-working,  honest, 
worthy  man. 

She  regards  the  poems,  "High  Noon/7  "To  an  As- 
trologer," and  "  My  Creed,"  as  probably  her  best  efforts. 
It  will  thus  be  noted  that  she  does  not  prefer  the  more 
fervid  poems  of  passion,  written  in  her  early  youth. 

Mrs.  Wilcox  lives  in  New  York  City  from  November 
to  May,  and  in  her  cottage  at  Short  Beach,  Conn.,  dur- 
ing the  rest  of  the  year.  Her  husband,  E.  M.  Wilcox, 
is  a  clear-headed  business  man,  of  polished  manners, 
kind  and  considerate  to  all  whom  he  meets,  —  one  who, 
in  short,  is  deservedly  popular  with  all  the  friends  of  the 
happy  couple.  The  summer  house  at  Short  Beach  is 
especially  charming.  It  is  in  full  view  of  the  sea,  with 
a  fine  beach  in  front,  and  a  splendid  sweep  of  country  at 
the  rear. 

LITERARY   METHODS. 

As  to  literary  methods,  Mrs.  Wilcox  has  few  sugges- 
tions to  make,  except  to  recommend  hard  work,  con- 
scientiously performed.  She  is  untiring  in  her  own 
efforts  at  rewriting,  revising,  and  polishing  her  produc- 
tions; and  cannot  rest  until  every  appearance  of  crude- 
ness  and  carelessness  is  effaced.  Her  manuscripts  are 
always  neat,  always  carefully  considered,  and  never  pre- 
pared in  undue  haste.  She  believes  that  no  writer  can 
succeed  who  is  a  pessimist.  She  is  an  optimist  of  the 
most  pronounced  type,  and  believes  that  all  poems  should 


TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

be  helpful,  not  hurtful ;  full  of  hope,  and  not  of  despair  ; 
bright  with  faith,  and  not  clouded  by  doubt. 

POINTS    FOB   WRITERS. 

"  What  is  your  view  of  the  first  things  to  be  done  by 
a  young  author  ?  "  she  was  asked. 

"  1.  The  first  thing  is  to  find  out  your  motive  in 
choosing  a  literary  career.  If  you  write  as  the  young 
bird  sings,  you  need  no  advice  from  me,  for  your  thoughts 
will  find  their  way  as  natural  springs  force  their  way 
through  rocks,  and  nothing  can  hinder  you.  But  if  you 
have  merely  a  well-defined  literary  ability  and  taste,  you 
should  consider  carefully  before  undertaking  the  difficult 
task  of  authorship. 

"  2.  An  author  should  be  able  to  instruct,  entertain, 
guide,  or  amuse  his  readers.  Otherwise  he  has  no  right 
to  expect  their  attention,  time,  or  money.  If  it  is  merely 
a  question  of  money  it  would  be  wise  to  wait  until  you 
have  a  comfortable  income,  sufficient  to  maintain  life 
during  the  first  ten  years  of  literary  pursuits.  Save  in 
rare  cases  of  remarkable  genius,  literature  requires  ten 
years'  apprenticeship,  at  least,  before  yielding  a  support. 
But  be  sure  that  you  help  —  not  harm  —  humanity.  To 
the  author,  of  all  men,  belongs  the  motto,  'Noblesse 
oblige.'' 

"  3.  Unless  you  are  so  absorbed  in  your  work  that  you 
utterly  forget  the  existence  of  critics  or  reviewers,  you 
have  no  right  to  call  yourself  a  genius.  Talent  thinks 
with  fear  and  fawning  of  critics ;  genius  does  not  remem- 
ber that  they  exist.  One  bows  at  the  shrine  of  existing 
public  opinion,  which  is  narrow  with  prejudice.  The 
other  bows  at  the  shrine  of  art,  which  is  as  broad  as  the 
universe. 

"  4.     Do  not  attempt  to  adopt  the  style  of  any  one  else. 


ELLA    WHEELER    WILCOX.  283 

Unless  you  feel  that  you  can  be  yourself,  do  not  try  to  be 
anybody.  A  poor  original  is  better  than  a  good  imita- 
tion, in  literature,  if  not  in  other  things." 

"  5.  How  do  you  think  a  young  author  should  proceed 
to  obtain  recognition  ?  " 

"In  regard  to  the  practical  methods  of  getting  one's 
work  before  the  public,  I  beg  you  not  to  send  it  to  some 
well-known  author,  asking  him  or  her  to  'read,  criticise, 
correct,  and  find  a  publisher  for  you.'  If  such  a  thought 
has  entered  your  head,  remember  that  it  has  entered  the 
heads  of  five  hundred  other  amateurs,  and  the  poor 
author  is  crushed  under  an  avalanche  of  badly-written 
manuscripts,  not  one  of  which  he  has  time  to  read. 

"6.  Expect  no  aid  from  influential  friends  in  any 
way.  The  more  you  depend  on  yourself,  the  sooner  will 
you  succeed. 

"  It  is  absolute  nonsense  to  talk  about '  influence  '  with 
editors  or  publishers.  No  editor  will  accept  what  he 
does  not  want,  through  the  advice  of  any  author,  how- 
ever famous.  No  one  ever  achieved  even  passing  fame 
or  success  in  literature  through  influence  or  '  friends  at 
court.7  An  editor  might  be  influenced  to  accept  one 
article,  but  he  would  never  give  permanent  patronage 
through  any  influence,  however  strong. 

"  7.  Do  not  be  easily  discouraged.  /  have  often  had 
an  article  refused  by  six  editors  and  accepted  by  the  sev- 
enth. An  especially  unfortunate  manuscript  of  mine 
was  once  rejected  by  eight  periodicals,  and  I  was  about  to 
consign  it  to  oblivion,  when,  as  a  last  venture,  I  sent  it 
to  the  ninth.  A  check  of  seventy-five  dollars  came  to  me 
by  return  mail,  with  an  extremely  complimentary  letter 
from  the  editor,  requesting  more  articles  of  a  similar 
kind." 


XL  VII. 

SHE  LOVES  HER   WORK. 
MRS.  BURTON  HARRISON. 


MRS.  BURTON  HARRISON,  the  gifted  American  author, 
is  a  charming  woman  socially ;  unaffected  in  manner  and 
easy  and  graceful  in  conversation.  When  I  called  I  was 
ushered  into  her  library,  and  was  entertained  in  the  same 
delightful  way  in  which  her  books  are  written.  Indeed, 
she  told  me  that  she  writes  without  effort. 

It  was  a  very  pretty  story  she  told  me  of  her  childhood 
days  in  Old  Virginia,  where  she  spent  the  greater  part  of 
her  time  in  reading  standard  works  and  in  dreams  of 
authorship.  "  Even  in  my  youngest  years,"  she  said,  "  I 
used  to  make  up  fairy  tales.  Later,  I  put  my  thoughts 
on  paper." 

"And  what  was  your  first  experience  in  a  literary 
way  ?  "  I  asked. 

'*  When  I  was  about  seventeen  years  old  I  sent  a  love 
story  to  the  '  Atlantic  Monthly.7  It  was  lurid  and  mel- 
ancholy," she  said  with  a  smile.  "  It  was  returned  in 
due  course  of  time,  and  across  its  face  was  written,  in 
very  bright  ink,  <  This  is  far  better  than  the  average,  and 
ought  to  be  read  through/  from  which  I  inferred  that 
only  the  first  page  had  been  read.  Bub  I  was  encouraged 
even  by  that. 

284 


MRS.   BURTON  HARRISON.  285 


HER    FIRST    NOVEL. 

"  My  next  attempt  was  a  novel,  which  I  called  '  Skir- 
mishing.' It  was  destroyed  in  a  fire,  for  which  I  have 
ever  since  felt  grateful." 

Miss  Constance  Gary  (her  maiden  name)  next  went 
abroad  with  her  widowed  mother,  and  spent  some  years 
in  travelling  and  in  completing  her  education. 

"  It  was  not  until  after  I  returned  to  America,"  she 
said,  "  and  was  married  to  Mr.  Harrison,  that  I  was 
again  bold  enough  to  take  up  my  pen.  I  wrote  an  arti- 
cle which  I  called  *  A  Little  Centennial  Lady.7  It  was 
published  in  '  Scribner's  Magazine,'  and  had  so  favorable 
a  reception  that  I  was  encouraged  to  write  '  Golden  Hod/ 
a  story  of  Mount  Desert,  which  appeared  later  in  '  Har- 
per's Magazine.' 

BOOKS    SHE    ENJOYED. 

"  My  books  that  I  have  enjoyed  most,  if  a  writer  may 
enjoy  her  own  work,  have  not  been  those  dealing  with 
New  York  social  life,  but  my  tales  of  the  South.  Charles 
A.  Dana,  of  the  '  New  York  Sun,'  was  unconsciously  re- 
sponsible for  my  'Old  Dominion.'  He  gave  me  the 
agreeable  task  of  editing  the  '  Monticello  Letters,'  and 
from  them  I  gleaned  a  story  which  outlined  my  '  Old 
Dominion.'  But  the  editors  cry  for  stories  of  New  York 
social  life,  to  gratify  the  popular  demand." 

Mrs.  Harrison's  books  are  so  well  known  that  it  is  un- 
necessary to  dwell  on  their  acknowledged  merit,  vivid- 
ness, and  truthfulness  to  life.  To  the  general  public 
there  is  something  fascinating  about  a  New  York  social 
story,  dealing  with  the  millionaire's  club  life,  woman's 
teas,  and  love's  broken  lances.  Besides  the  general  de- 
sire for  a  good  social  novel,  there  is  a  morbid,  unsatiated 


286  TALKS    WITH   GREAT   WORKERS. 

desire  to  pry  into  the  doings,  customs,  and  manners  of 
the  rich.  It  is  with  agreeable  expectations  that  one 
picks  up  one  of  Mrs.  Harrison's  books ;  it  is  with  the 
certainty  that  you  will  be  entertained. 

HER   CHARACTERS    ARE    FROM    LIFE. 

On  a  former  call  she  told  me  that  her  New  York 
stories  are  built  on  her  observations,  and  that  the  char- 
acters are  so  changed  as  not  to  antagonize  her  friends, 
for  she  enters  the  best  society  through  her  family  ties 
and  her  well-earned  prestige. 

"  It  is  very  peculiar,"  she  continued,  "  how,  in  writing 
a  story,  the  characters  govern  me,  not  I  the  characters. 
I  may  have  the  outline  and  ending  of  a  book  in  my  mind, 
but  the  characters  take  everything  into  their  hands  and 
walk  independently  through  the  pages.  I  have  always 
found  it  best  to  obey.  The  ending  of  '  Anglo-Maniacs,' 
which  caused  so  much  adverse  criticism,  was  not  as  I  had 
planned.  I  was  helpless  under  the  caprices  of  the  char- 
acters. At  first  I  was  displeased  at  the  ending,  but  now, 
looking  back  upon  it,  I  am  well  satisfied." 

"  Then  the  characters,  to  you,  become  real ;  and  you  are 
entirely  under  their  spell  ?  " 

IN   LOVE    WITH    HER    WORK. 

"  Yes,  if  I  did  not  believe  in  them,  I  would  be  unable 
to  write  ;  for  the  time  being,  I  am  living  and  observing 
a  dozen  lives.  There  is  much  satisfaction  in  doing  so 
correctly.  I  am  in  love  with  my  work,  and  am  a  hard 
worker. 

"  All  the  time  I  am  turning  little  romances  over  in  my 
mind,  and  when  I  can  no  longer  keep  my  pen  from  paper, 
I  sit  down  and  write." 


MRS.    BURTON  HARRISON.  287 

Many  amusing  little  instances  touching  upon  her  work 
have  come  to  her  attention. 

"One  morning,"  said  Mrs.  Harrison,  "after  my  hus- 
band had  successfully  defended  a  client  the  man  grasped 
his  hand  very  warmly,  and  to  my  husband's  amazement, 
said,  '  Well,  Mr.  Harrison,  I  want  to  tell  you  what  we 
think  of  your  wife.  She  's  the  finest  writer  in  the  Eng- 
lish language,  that 's  what  my  daughter  says.  She  says 
there  are  no  books  like  hers.' 

" '  Which  one  does  she  like  most  ? '  asked  my  husband, 
immensely  pleased. 

"  <  Well,'  he  replied,  '  I  can't  just  answer  that,  but  I 
think  it 's  "  Your  Eyre."  ' 

"Once  I  received  a  rather  startling  letter  from  a 
Western  ranchman.  It  said,  '  Your  book  has  been  going 
the  rounds,  but  it  always  comes  back,  and  I  have  threat- 
ened to  put  a  bullet  in  the  hide  of  the  man  who  does  not 
return  it.'  I  was  greatly  pleased  with  that  letter. 

"  The  most  gratifying  letter  I  ever  received  was  from 
a  man  in  a  prison.  He  begged  to  be  supplied  with  all  I 
had  written." 

Mrs  Harrison  has  made  many  close  friends  through 
her  books.  Once  she  was  with  a  party  of  friends  in  a 
Madrid  gallery.  Her  name  was  mentioned,  and  a  Spanish 
lady  came  forward,  and  introduced  herself,  at  the  same 
time  expressing  her  admiration  for  her. 

"  She  is  now  one  of  my  dearest  friends,"  concluded 
Mrs.  Harrison. 

Just  then  a  colored  man  appeared  in  the  library,  bear- 
ing a  tray,  —  for  afternoon  tea,  —  so  I  arose,  although 
she  asked  me  to  have  a  cup  of  tea.  Fearing  that  I  might 
be  intruding,  I  retired,  expressing  my  wish  that  she 
might  quickly  recover  from  the  overwork  which  was  just 
then  a  hindrance  to  her  writing  new  stories. 


XL  VIII. 

THE    MILL-GIKL    POET. 
HER    FRIENDSHIP    WITH    WHITTIER. 


And  this  is  the  little  mill-girl  of  Lowell,  who  doffed  the  bobbins  : 
Lucy  Larcora !  Her  name  has  always  seemed  to  me  one  of  those 
born  and  baptismal  appellations  which  hold  a  significance  and  a 
prophecy.  "Lucy," — the  light;  "  Larcom," — the  song-bird 
haunt ;  the  combe,  or  valley-field  of  larks.  It  is  her  birth  name,  and 
her  heart-and-soul  name.  I  fancy  it  needs  not  to  be  much  changed 
into  her  heaven-name.  I  "  spect,"  like  Topsy,  that  the  name  and 
she  must  have  "  gro wed  "  together. — MRS.  A.  D.  T.  WHITNEY. 

LUCY  was  the  youngest  of  the  Larcoin  family  of  eight 
girls,  who,  when  she  was  ten  years  old,  removed  with 
their  widowed  mother  from  Beverly  to  Lowell,  where 
much  needed  work  was  provided  by  the  mills.  After 
three  years  as  home-helper,  Lucy  became  a  factory 
"  doffer,"  whose  work  it  was  to  remove  empty  bobbins 
and  replace  them  by  full  ones.  Her  literary  life  had 
been  for  some  time  lived,  not  unto  the  world,  but  unto 
herself.  When  seven  years  old  she  had  written  a  manu- 
script volume  of  little  stories  and  poems,  which  she  illus- 
trated with  crude  water-colors.  After  enjoying  it  for 
some  time,  she  took  it  to  the  attic,  solemnly  tore  it  into 
bits,  and  consigned  it  to  the  rats. 

Now  her  "factory"  thoughts,  which  the  monotony  of 
her  work  left  much  at  leisure,  wove  many  a  fanciful 

288 


LUCY  LARCOM.  289 

story,  and  rhymed  many  a  song.  Long  tasks  called  the 
workers  abroad  before  day,  but  in  the  stream  of  humanity 
pouring  forth'  to  meet  the  morning  freshness,  in  the 
beauty  of  thousands  of  lights  in  huge  mills,  in  the  near- 
hanging  stars  of  the  dawn,  —  in  all  these  the  slight  girl 
with  the  large  insight  saw  the  strength  and  the  poetry  of 
real  life  ;  and  no  one  was  ever  more  responsive  to  life  in 
all  its  shadings  than  this  doffer  poet.  On  her  homeward 
way  she  saw  and  communed  with  the  summer  sunsets, 
gathered  wayside  flowers,  or  translated  the  different  bird- 
songs,  and  bewailed  her  lot  not  at  all. 

EVENINGS    WITH    THE    MILL-GIRLS. 

Then  came  the  evenings  when,  around  a  long  table, 
the  girls  sewed  and  read  and  talked, never  dreaming  that' 
the   silent,  studious   little   one,  who   seemed  the   least 
among  them,  was  to  be  the  greatest  of  them  all. 

"  While  yet  a  child,"  Miss  Larcom  says,  "  I  used  to 
consider  it  special  good  fortune  that  my  home  was  at 
Lowell.  There  was  a  frank  friendliness  and  sincerity  in 
the  social  atmosphere  that  wrought  upon  me  uncon- 
sciously, and  made  the  place  pleasant  to  live  in.  People 
moved  about  their  every-day  duties  with  purpose  and 
zest,  and  were  generally  interested  in  one  another;  while 
in  the  towns  on  the  seaboard  it  was  sometimes  as  if  every 
man's  house  was  his  castle  in  almost  a  feudal  sense, 
where  the  family  shut  themselves  in  against  intruders." 

The  girls  working  in  the  Lowell  mills  at  that  period 
gave  one  of  the  finest  examples  ever  seen  of  "  plain  living 
and  high  thinking."  One  of  those  girls  wore  out  Watts' 
"  Improvement  of  the  Mind  "  by  carrying  it  about  in  her 
working-dress  pocket;  others  studied  German  in  the 
evening,  though  their  hours  of  labor  were  from  daylight 
till  half -past  seven  at  night ;  they  organized  Improve- 


290  TALKS   WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

merit  Circles,  and  published  a  magazine  or  two.  They 
were  high-minded  and  refined,  not  afraid  of  drudgery, 
but  determined  to  make  their  way  to  something  beyond 
it.  Many  of  them  loved  beauty  and  appreciated  the 
sweep  of  the  fair,  blue  Merrirnac  under  the  factory  win- 
dows. In  their  homes,  with  all  their  frugality,  the  at- 
mosphere was  fragrant  with  peace  and  integrity, 

In  the  "  Offering,"  the  paper  of  the  Lowell  mill  girls' 
club,  appeared  Lucy's  "  Idyls  of  Work,"  which  was  a  re- 
telling and  resetting  forth  of  the  existence  about  her,  and 
"  Wild  Roses  of  Cape  Ann,"  full  "  of  picture  and  perfume 
and  legend  that  could  only  have  been  seen  and  breathed 
and  learned  where  the  forests  lean  down  to  listen  to  the 
ocean,  and  the  waters  send  up  their  song  and  strength  to 
the  hills  and  trees."  It  was  among  her  factory  mates 
that  Lucy  Larcoin  so  strongly  began  that  work  of  minis- 
tration which  she  never  afterwards  laid  down. 

THE    DIGNITY    OF    LABOR. 

From  the  drudgery  of  work  to  its  dignity  and  beauty 
and  beneficence,  she  lifted  the  mill-girl  mind.  From  out- 
side unloveliness  and  prosaic  monotony  she  led  the 
thoughts  of  her  girl  companions  into  regions  which  re- 
freshed their  minds  and  added  to  their  mental  posses- 
sions. 

One  evening  there  appeared  at  one  of  the  club-meetings 
of  the  mill-girls  a  kind-faced,  big-browed  man  who  spoke 
with  the  "  thee  and  thou  "  of  the  Quakers  —  John  Green- 
leaf  Whittier,  who  was  then  in  Lowell  editing  a  Free- 
Soil  journal.  He  showed  his  interest  in  Lucy  Larcom 
by  criticising  some  of  her  contributions  to  the  paper 
which  had  been  read.  From  that  day  the  two  poets  — 
one  a  mature  man,  the  other  a  mere  child  —  were  fast 
friends.  Lucy  was  afterwards  introduced  to  Elizabeth, 


LUCY  LARCOM.  291 

Whittier's  sister,  and  between  the  three  loving,  minister- 
ing, tender  souls,  there  sprang  up  a  friendship,  out  of 
which  grew  those  beautiful  compilations,  "  Child-life  " 
and  "  Songs  of  Three  Centuries." 

POETIC    FIRSTLINGS. 

"  This  poem  was  produced  under  the  inspiration  of  the 
nurses,"  announced  the  Lowell  "  Casket,"  in  which  ap- 
peared certain  of  Miss  Larcom's  verses  j  a  misprint,  of 
course,  for  muses,  but  those  who  knew  its  author  to  be 
only  about  twelve  years  old  did  not  quarrel  with  the 
statement.  One  of  her  early  compositions  which  was 
sent  to  the  "  Atlantic,"  while  the  poet  Lowell  was  its 
editor,  was,  no  name  being  signed  to  the  production, 
ascribed  to  Emerson.  During  all  this  time  of  literary 
achievement  the  poet  was  the  mill-girl  still.  She  had 
been  steadily  promoted.  After  bobbin-doffing,  her  next 
work  was  tending  a  spinning-frame.  Later  she  was  em- 
ployed in  the  cloth- room,  and  finally  as  bookkeeper.  Al- 
ways on  her  frame  or  desk  lay  an  open  book,  something 
on  mathematics,  grammar,  English  or  German  literature, 
from  which  statements  or  sentences  could  be  snatched,  to 
be  conned  over  while  her  hands  attended  to  their  me- 
chanical tasks. 

THE    PRAIRIE    SCHOOL-HOUSE. 

It  was  when  she  was  twenty  that  Miss  Larcom  left  the 
mill  to  accompany  her  sister  to  the  West  and  become  a 
teacher. 

The  school-house  was  a  log  building  standing  amid  the 
wide,  monotonous  stretches  of  an  Illinois  prairie,  whose 
billowy  grass  reminded  the  homesick  teacher  of  the  ocean 
off  her  own  New  England  coast.  The  central  structure 
of  the  house  was  an  enormous  chimney.  One  day  when, 


292  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

for  some  misdemeanor,  a  girl  had  been  directed  by  Miss 
Larcom  to  "  stand  in  the  chimney,"  she  climbed  out 
through  the  ample  aperture,  and  treated  herself  to  the 
freedom  of  "all-out-doors."  The  pupils,  ranging  from 
infants  to  young  men  and  women,  came  from  three  coun- 
ties. The  teacher  walked  two  miles  to  school. 

She  was  one  of  the  minister's  family.  Her  older 
sister,  Emeline,  "  half- mother,  half -mate,"  had  married  a 
pioneer  Western  clergyman.  Lucy  for  a  time  accompa- 
nied the  two  in  their  wanderings,  becoming  a  teacher  in 
several  Western  hamlets.  The  school  taught  in  the  big- 
chimneyed  house  was  under  the  auspices  of  a  district 
committee,  who  required  its  would-be  teachers  to  hold  up 
their  hands  and  swear  that  they  were  able  to  instruct  in 
arithmetic,  geography,  writing,  and  spelling.  "Forty 
dollars  is  a  lot  o?  money  to  pay  a  young  woman  for  three 
months'  teaching  —  she  oughter  know  considerable," 
declared  an  official  to  whom  Miss  Larcom's  brother-in-law 
had  gone  to  collect  her  salary. 

During  these  Western  wanderings  she  at  length  found 
herself  in  the  vicinity  of  Monticello  Female  Seminary. 
She  entered  the  institution  as  a  pupil,  spending  three  years 
in  the  full  course  of  study,  also  taking  charge  of  the 
preparatory  department  during  the  last  two  years.  But 
her  heart  was  all  in  New  England,  and  it  was  with  glad 
footsteps  that  she  returned  to 

BEVERLY, 

whose  every  rock  was  dear  to  her,  and  the  song  of  whose 
waters  was,  to  her  interpreting  soul  and  responsive 
heart,  an  inspiration. 

Here  for  a  year  or  two  she  taught  a  class  of  young 
ladies.  Her  next  position  was  in  Wheaton  Seminary,  at 
Norton,  where  she  remained  six  years,  teaching  rhetoric, 


LUCY  LARGO  M.  293 

English  literature,  composition,  mental  and  moral  sci- 
ence, and  botany.  It  was  in  1865  that  she  became  as- 
sistant editor,  and  a  year  later,  leading  editor,  of  "  Our 
Young  Folks,"  a  Boston  magazine.  Her  writings  were 
everywhere  recognized;  the  poem  "Hannah  Binding 
Shoes"  being,  probably,  the  best  known  of  all. 

To  her  home  in  Beverly  journeyed  many  who  needed 
encouragement,  sympathy,  and  comfort ;  for  Lucy  Lar- 
com  not  only  had,  like  Margaret  Fuller,  "  a  genius  for 
friendship,  but  a  genius  for  mothering.  Hers  was  the 
gospel  of  love  made  manifest.  Bravely,  adequately,  and 
gracefully  she  wrought ;  but  those  who  knew  her  best 
will  best  remember  and  revere  her  for  what  she  was 
rather  than  for  what  she  wrote.  In  her  own  words: 

"  Woman  can  climb  no  higher  than  womanhood, 
Whatever  be  her  title." 


XLIX. 

JULIAN  HAWTHORNE  TO   LITERARY 
ASPIRANTS. 


father  strongly  advised  me  against  a  literary 
career/'  said  Julian  Hawthorne,  when  I  asked  for  his 
advice  to  young  writers.  "  He  also  pointed  out  its  hard 
work  and  small  remuneration.  I  well  knew  that  any- 
thing I  might  write  would,  as  a  matter  of  course,  be 
compared  with  his  work,  so  I  became  an  engineer.  My 
duties  included  some  work  on  a  canal  located  on  a  mos- 
quito belt,  where  the  climate,  too,  was  unsuited  to  myself 
and  family.  I  gave  it  up,  and  took  up  my  pen  simply  to 
try  my  hand  on  a  story.  I  sold  it  to  '  Harper's  Maga- 
zine '  for  such  a  large  sum  of  money  that  I  decided  then 
to  write  for  a  living.  My  life  has  since  been  fraught 
with  the  hardest  kind  of  work. 

"  The  idea  that  good  literary  work  is  done  by  the 
talented  without  great  labor — in  preparation,  at  least  — 
has  been  exploded  time  and  again.  Every  one  of  our 
great  authors  has  succeeded  only  after  severe  application, 
wrought  in  a  spirit  of  love  mingled  with  the  most  rigid 
self-criticism.  Without  a  real  passion  for  writing,  and 
the  courage  and  patience  for  self-criticism,  one  should 
never  undertake  this  career. 

"  The  first  step  is  to  gain  notice.  The  next  is  to  be 
neither  flattered  by  praise  nor  depressed  by  criticism. 
If  a  man  of  genius  listens  too  much  to  outside  comments, 

294 


JULIAN  HAWTHORNE.  295 

he  is  liable  to  be  influenced  and  perhaps  injured  by  it. 
Let  one  not  know  the  public,  but  be  happy  in  his  own 
work,  and  he  will  acquire  at  least  the  freedom  of  inspira- 
tion and  stamp  his  work  with  his  own  individuality. 

"  That  the  literature  of  to-day  is  not  up  to  the 
standard  of  the  past  may  be  laid  at  the  door  of  our 
great  magazines,  which  compel  a  writer  to  conform  to 
their  schemes.  Write  according  to  inspiration.  But, 
alas !  it  pays  to  write  to  please  the  periodicals.  Only 
writers  who  have  gained  great  popularity  can  defy  the 
notions  of  the  editors. 

"  Mr.  Kipling,  the  greatest  short-story  writer  since  the 
early  days  of  Bret  Harte,  was  fortunate  in  striking  an 
entirely  new  vein.  He  swept  all  set  rules  of  story-writ- 
ing to  the  winds,  and  has  succeeded  in  stamping  his 
work  with  a  masculine  vigor  entirely  his  own.  The  most 
of  his  stories  are  full  of  fresh  life,  and  every  year  there 
springs  up  around  him  a  new  crop  of  imitators.  If 
he  has  a  fault,  it  is  his  technicality  in  giving  life  to  a 
piece  of  machinery.  His  minute  descriptions  of  a  ma- 
chine are  apt  to  confuse  the  average  reader. 

"  In  the  great  hurry  of  the  day,  authors  who  have  sud- 
denly achieved  popularity  hasten  to  put  their  works  upon 
the  market.  Some  dozen  chapters  are  hurriedly  written 
and  sent  to  the  press,  to  be  followed  by  others  in  a  like 
manner.  This  is  a  mistake,  for  a  novel  should  be  a  well- 
linked,  even  story,  event  hanging  upon  event.  The 
whole  plot  should  possess  fluency  and  reality.  The 
great  exceptions  to  this  rule  are  Thackeray  and  Dickens. 
In  '  Vanity  Fair,'  each  chapter  is  a  complete  story  within 
itself.  In  writing  a  novel,  one  idea  forces  itself  upon 
you  as  more  prominent  than  another.  Its  prominence 
should  be  respected,  and  this  often  demands  a  modifica- 
tion of  the  plot. 


296  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

"  To  acquire  a  good  style,  read  the  Bible  and  classic 
literature,  study  character,  and  learn  to  express  yourself 
clearly  ;  but  beware  of  too  much  facility,  a  serious  fault. 
You  can  judge  of  your  own  writing  only  after  a  lapse  of 
time.  After  your  fervor  has  cooled,  you  may  be  able  to 
subject  it  to  impartial  criticism." 


L. 

"UNCLE  REMUS." 


WITH  the  exception  of  "Mark  Twain,"  there  is  no 
name  in  American  literature  that  associates  with  itself 
more  genuine  pleasure  and  affection  than  that  of  "  Uncle 
Remus  "  —  Joel  Chandler  Harris.  For  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  century  Mr.  Harris  was  on  the  "  Atlanta  Constitu- 
tion "  and  wrote  most  of  the  editorials  which  gave  that 
journal  its  great  prestige  and  influence  in  the  South. 
Into  many  of  his  editorials  he  put  the  same  sunshine 
and  humor  that  characterize  his  books.  Mr.  Harris  is 
not  only  "  Uncle  Remus  "  in  his  books  and  newspaper 
articles,  but  he  is  "  Uncle  Remus "  in  his  relations 
with  his  friends.  To  be  in  his  neighborhood  has  ever 
been  to  lay  aside  worry  and  resign  one's  self  to  cheer- 
ful feelings.  Even  when  not  engaged  in  playing  some 
innocent  prank  on  his  associates  or  in  telling  some 
spicy  anecdote,  "  Uncle "  cultivates  cheerfulness  by 
whistling  some  favorite  plantation  tune.  If  he  was  ever 
out  of  sorts  at  the  office,  it  was  never  observed  by  any 
of  his  associates,  and  they  kept  in  close  touch  with  him. 
Everybody  on  the  paper,  from  the  editor-in-chief  down 
to  the  office  boy,  loved  him. 

When  the  editor-in-chief  did  not  resign  work  to  him, 
and  that  was  quite  often,  he  took  some  subject  that 
especially  pleased  him,  which  he  could  invest  with  his 

297 


298  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

droll  humor  to  make  his  readers  laugh.  Ridicule  was 
one  of  his  favorite  weapons,  and  no  one  could  use  it  to 
better  advantage,  though  he  never  descended  to  coarse- 
ness. He  delighted  in  simple  words  and  illuminated 
everything  he  discussed. 

"  Uncle  Remus "  owes  his  reputation  to  his  dialect 
stories,  but  he  never  wrote  them  till  he  became  a  member 
of  the  staff  of  the  Atlanta  paper.  At  that  time  there 
was  running  in  the  paper  a  series  of  dialect  stories  over 
the  signature  of  "  Old  Si,"  and  so  popular  had  they  be- 
come that  the  editor  approached  Mr.  Harris  with  a  sug- 
gestion that  he  write  something  in  the  same  style.  At  first 
he  hesitated,  but  finally  decided  to  make  an  attempt. 
Having  been  reared  among  the  negroes  in  Putnam  County, 
Georgia,  he  had,  stored  in  his  memory,  an  immense 
amount  of  material  which  he  could  weave  into  long 
stories.  But  not  being  sure  of  his  public,  he  began  with 
fear  and  trembling.  On  the  morning  the  first  story 
appeared,  the  editor-in-chief  warmly  congratulated  Mr. 
Harris  on  his  success.  Within  a  week  the  whole  country 
was  talking  about  "  Uncle  Remus."  His  work  was  a 
genuine  creation,  amusingly  original,  and  he  reproduced 
the  negro,  giving  to  perfection  not  only  his  peculiarities 
of  dialect,  but  his  keen  sense  of  ridicule  and  humor.  The 
drollest  of  ante-bellum  life  on  the  plantation  was  repro- 
duced afresh.  Papers  all  over  the  country  copied  these 
stories,  and  then  "  Brer  Rabbit "  and  "  Brer  Fox  "  were 
bound  in  books  and  they  have  grown  into  fireside  classics. 

Mr.  Harris  published  "  Uncle  Remus  ;  His  Songs  and 
His  Sayings,"  in  1878.  It  was  received  with  pronounced 
favor  all  over  America.  Since  then  more  than  half  a 
dozen  story  books  have  come  from  his  pen,  despite  his 
other  engrossing  work.  He  is  always  in  good  spirits, 
and  his  inspiration  usually  comes  with  his  leisure,  en- 


JOEL    CHANDLER   HARRIS.  299 

abling  him  to  enter  at  once  upon  his  work  without  wait- 
ing for  moods.  To  counteract  the  effects  of  his  sedentary 
habits,  he  takes  frequent  strolls  and  engages  in  manual 
labor  about  the  house  or  grounds. 

Mr.  Harris  has  been  more  successful  with  his  short 
stories  than  with  his  long  ones ;  but  now  that  he  is  no 
longer  hampered  with  newspaper  work,  he  may  be  able 
to  invest  his  long  stories  with  the  charm  so  characteristic 
of  his  short  ones. 

Although  past  fifty  years  of  age  he  is  in  his  prime, 
with  the  promise  of  many  fruitful  years.  He  is  under 
medium  height,  thick-set,  broad-shouldered,  presenting 
a  picture  of  robust  health.  Although  his  hair  is  red 
and  his  face  is  covered  with  freckles,  there  is  an  at- 
tractiveness about  his  features  that  is  absent  from 
many  so-called  handsome  faces.  His  playful  countenance 
draws  every  one  to  him.  Genius  and  character  are  writ- 
ten there,  for  "  Uncle  Remus  "  is  one  of  nature's  noble- 
men. 

He  loves  his  home  supremely,  and  seldom  leaves  it  at 
night  to  attend  public  meetings  or  social  entertainments. 
So  little  is  he  seen  in  public  that  few  people  in  his  city 
know  him  by  sight.  He  objects  to  being  interviewed. 
His  home  in  Atlanta  is  at  West  End,  where  he  is  sur- 
rounded by  his  few  acres  of  garden  land.  His  house 
has  broad  verandas,  and  is  an  ideal  Southern  home. 


LI. 

A  SECRET  TOLD  BY  ANTHONY  HOPE. 


IT  has  been  said,  more  than  once,  of  Anthony  Hope 
(whose  name,  as  is  well  known,  is  Anthony  Hope  Haw- 
kins in  private  life)  that  he  is  one  of  those  favored 
children  of  fortune  whom  nature  endows  with  every 
requisite  for  success,  and  sends  forward  as  an  example 
of  life  without  care. 

Since  Mr.  Hope  is  not  an  inaccessible  celebrity,  I 
called  upon  him  when  he  was  at  one  of  the  great  New 
York  hotels,  being  in  America  upon  a  lecture-tour.  Al- 
though it  was  early  in  the  day,  he  was  already  hard  at 
work  and  evidently  had  been  for  some  time.  His  writ- 
ing-desk was  covered  with  letters,  the  floor  about  littered 
with  them,  and  rows  of  invitations,  three  deep,  orna- 
mented the  mantel-piece.  Also,  on  the  tables  and  around 
the  room,  books  were  freely  scattered. 

The  author  was  extremely  courteous,  after  the  pleasing 
English  fashion.  He  had  already  risen  from  his  task 
when  I  was  admitted,  and  came  forward,  smiling.  He 
offered  me  a  chair  and  sought  one  for  himself. 

"  It  is  often  said,"  I  began,  "  that  you  are  an  example 
of  the  ease  with  which  some  men  attain  to  distinction." 

"  My  ability  to  tell  stories  certainly  is  a  gift,"  he  an- 
swered, "  and  is  not  dependent  upon  personal  experience. 
I  dare  say  I  have  studied  in  directions  which  now  sug- 

300 


ANTHONY  HOPE.  301 

gest  these  plots  and  incidents,  however.  It  certainly 
would  not  be  just  to  say  that  I  write  without  study,  any 
more  than  it  would  be  to  say  that  I  do  so  with  ease.  It 
may  not  be  absolute  toil,  but  I  assure  you  it  is  labor." 

"  Then  you  may  have  worked  exceedingly  hard,  after 
all." 

"  Getting  along  is  a  grind,"  he  answered.  "  It  was  the 
usual  one  with  me,  and  you  know  that  all  work  is  hard 
when  people  are  born  with  a  desire  to  play." 

"  You  must  have  done  a  great  deal  of  reading  in  your 
day." 

"  Oh,  a  moderate  amount,"  he  said. 

"  Are  you  reading  any  of  these  ?  "  I  ventured,  taking 
an  inclusive  glance  at  the  books  scattered  about. 

"  All,"  he  replied  modestly,  at  the  same  time  reaching 
for  his  pipe. 

It  was  a  rather  startling  answer,  considering  the  num- 
ber in  evidence ;  but,  as  I  knew,  a  great  writer  is  usually 
an  omnivorous  reader.  The  books  were  largely  those  of 
American  authors,  dealing  with  phases  of  our  national  life. 

I  was  about  to  offer  another  question,  when  he  re- 
sumed with :  "  I  judge  there  is  considerable  error  in  the 
minds  of  most  individuals  as  to  the  ease  with  which  suc- 
cess is  attained  in  literature.  My  experience  extends 
only  through  law  and  literature,  but  I  know  of  nothing 
more  trying  than  the  failure  of  beginners  in  this  field. 
Literary  aspirants  who  have  real  merit  are  usually  ex- 
tremely sensitive,  and  their  ambition  is  most  soaring. 
Consequently  failures,  the  indifference  of  others,  and 
lack  of  friendly  criticism  weigh  heavily.  To  endure 
long  hours  on  meagre  pay,  in  mercantile  or  other  pur- 
suits, cannot  be  more  trying  to  the  beginner  than  for  a 
sensitive,  high-strung  nature  to  endure  rejections  and 
lack  of  recognition  in  the  literary  world." 


302  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

"  Is  that  the  usual  experience  of  literary  workers  ?  " 
I  ventured. 

"  Yes,"  he  answered.  "  It  is  the  usual  thing  for  a  be. 
ginner  to  work  eight  hours  a  day  at  something  he  does 
not  care  for,  or  perhaps  despises,  in  order  to  live,  and 
be  able  to  work  two  hours  at  his  chosen  profession." 

"Allow  me  to  ask  where  you  obtained  your  train- 
ing." 

"  Well,"  he  said,  ^  in  my  ninth  year  my  father,  who  is 
now  vicar  of  St.  Brike's,  London,  moved  to  Leatherhead, 
where  he  took  St.  John's  School,  an  establishment  for 
boys,  intended  exclusively  for  the  sons  of  clergymen.  I 
was  there  several  years.  Then,  at  thirteen,  I  won  a 
scholarship  at  Marl  borough  College.  Few  boys  work 
hard  at  an  English  public  school." 

"  But  you  were  an  exception." 

"  Oh,  no !  I  studied  the  prescribed  text-books  fairly 
well,  and  played  football  a  trifle  better." 

"  And  from  Marlborough  ?  "  I  questioned. 

"I  passed  to  Baliol  College,  Oxford.  There, as  during 
all  my  boyhood  and  youth,  my  life  was  commonplace 
and  uneventful.  Afterwards  I  took  up  law  as  a  profes- 
sion, and  followed  it  for  six  or  seven  years.  It  was  my 
choice,  and  I  did  fairly  well." 

"  How  did  you  come  to  leave  it  and  take  up  litera- 
ture ?  "  I  queried. 

"  Oh,  I  fancied  I  could  write  a  story.  I  began  to  write 
short  ones  in  my  spare  time." 

"  How  long  was  it  before  your  efforts  were  remunerated 
at  a  reasonable  rate  ?  " 

He  smiled.     "  I  can't  remember  exactly  ;  it  was  a  grad- 
ual affair.     I  had  the  usual  experience,  you   know,  — 
wasting  my  good  stamps  on  returned  stories.     I  pub- 
lished <  A  Man  of  Mark/  but  it  did  n't  sell." 


ANTHONY  HOPE.  303 

"You  were  finally  induced  to  give  up  the  practice  of 
law,  I  believe,  were  you  not  ?  " 

'*  Yes,  by  success.  My  income  from  my  stories  was 
larger  than  that  from  my  practice,  and  I  elected  to  stick 
to  stories  altogether." 

"  I  should  like  to  ask  if  you  think  a  college  education 
an  advantage  or  a  necessity  to  success  ?  " 

"  It  is  an  advantage,  surely.  Of  course  it 's  an  advan- 
tage, but  I  should  not  say  a  necessity.  Men  do  succeed, 
you  know,  without  one.  Of  course  all  things  help;  but 
we  all  know  how  men  succeed." 

"Do  you  believe  a  distinctive  style  and  a  mind  for 
inventing  interesting  plots  is  a  given  or  an  acquired 
talent  ?  " 

"  It 's  born  with  a  man.  Study  will  develop  and  work 
perfect  a  style,  but  it  won't  give  a  bent  to  it.  You  must 
have  an  innate  liking  for  the  thing,  an  aptitude,  say,  or 
you  never  would  give  the  time  to  working  at  it.  The  ability 
to  invent  a  plot  is  a  gift.  I  don't  believe  any  one  could 
train  his  mind  to  an  inventive  state.  It 's  a  gift." 

"  Then  you  don't  accept  Balzac's  maxim,  '  Genius  is  a 
capacity  for  taking  infinite  pains '  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no  !  It  seems  to  me  that  it  must  have  been  a 
pleasant  epigram  with  him.  Of  course  genius  sometimes 
has  the  capacity  for  taking  infinite  pains ;  sometimes  it 
has  n't.  But  there  must  be  something  else  behind  that 
—  the  tendency  or  desire  to  take  infinite  pains.  Nothing 
is  done  strikingly  well  without  a  liking  for  it." 

"  Do  you  imagine  it  is  more  difficult  to  succeed  in  lit- 
erature than  in  many  other  professions  ?  " 

"  No  ;  not  exactly.  It  is  a  field  in  which  it  is  impos- 
sible to  succeed  without  talent.  Some  fail  to  succeed 
with  it.  There  are  possibilities  of  quicker  success,  if 
you  can  bring  forward  the  individual  fitted  to  take  ad- 


304  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

vantage  of  the  possibilities.  Even  with  genius,  though, 
it  is  usually  a  matter  of  years  before  one  is  accepted  by 
both  critics  and  public." 

"  What  do  you  say  is  the  first  requisite  for  success  in 
the  literary  field  ?  "• 

"  I  can  only  answer  for  my  style  of  literature,  and 
there  I  should  say  the  ability  to  invent  a  plot.  Style  is 
excellent ;  it  can  be  acquired,  I  think,  but  is  absolutely 
useless  without  a  plot.  To  have  something  to  say  is  the 
first  thing.  Many  people  can  say  it.  Some  writers  have 
a  good  style,  but  no  merit  of  thought.  Some  have  some- 
thing to  say,  and  even  if  they  say  it  poorly  it  brings 
them  success." 

"  How  many  hours  a  day  do  you  work  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  A  varying  period,"  said  Mr.  Hope,  now  behind  his 
desk  and  abandoning  the  pipe,  probably  in  despair. 
"  Five  to  six  hours,  usually,  —  that  is,  writing.  Of 
course  I  think  about  my  work  a  great  deal ;  invent  plots 
when  I  knock  around,  and  so  on.  But  I  write  at  a  desk 
much  of  the  time." 

*'  Does  your  work  require  much  historical  investiga- 
tion ?  " 

"No;  none.  I  say  none,  but  I  except  a  historical 
novel  which  I  am  now  at  work  upon.  That  required  a 
little  investigation  about  the  time  of  Charles  II." 

"And  your  other  novels,"  I  went  on,  "do  they  not 
represent  wide  if  not  special  historical  reading  ?  " 

"  I  read  much  of  German  history,  and  all  my  reading 
helps,  I  suppose ;  but  I  assure  you  the  stories  are  purely 
imaginary.  They  come  as  pleasing  fancies." 

"  And  no  work  to  think  them  up  ?  " 

"No,  I  rather  enjoy  it." 

"Did  you  ever  think  of  abandoning  literature  after 
you  had  once  started  ?  " 


ANTHONY  HOPE.  305 

"  No.  You  see  I  took  it  up  gradually,  never  burned 
my  bridges  behind  me  until  the  road  was  clear  before  — 
that  is,  I  stayed  with  law  until  my  stories  earned  me 
enough  to  live  on.  After  I  left  the  law  I  would  n't  go 
back.  Pride  alone  settled  that." 

A  little  article  which  I  had  looked  up  the  previous 
day  states  that  a  brief  resume  of  Mr.  Hope's  work  re- 
veals the  fact  that  no  blood  of  the  idler  flows  in  his 
veins.  After  publishing,  in  1889,  "A  Man  of  Mark," 
Mr.  Hope  endeavored  laboriously  to  dispose  of  a  number 
of  his  short  stories  to  the  magazines  of  England,  but 
only  one  or  two  ever  got  into  type.  The  temperature  of 
this  cold  water  was  not  low  enough,  however,  to  chill  his 
ardor,  and  he  kept  at  his  task  unflinching.  One  day  he 
came  forth  from  his  den  with  his  brief-bag,  and  in  it  the 
manuscript  of  "Father  Stafford,"  which  nearly  every 
publisher  in  London  hastened  to  decline  with  thanks. 
Finally  it  was  issued  from  the  press  of  the  Cassells,  but 
was  a  financial  failure.  He  then  began  to  contribute 
short  tales  to  the  "  St.  James  Gazette,"  a  journal  that 
has  given  signal  encouragement  in  their  days  to  the  now 
famous  authors  of  "  The  Play  Actress,"  "  A  Gentleman 
of  France,"  and  "  The  Seats  of  the  Mighty."  From  these 
contributions  of  Hope,  fifteen  in  all,  the  stories  were 
selected  which  compose  the  volume  entitled,  "  Sport 
Koyal."  Afterwards  came  "  Mr.  Witt's  Widow,"  which  • 
was  only  a  partial  success ;  then  "  A  Change  of  Air," 
then  "Half  a  Hero."  He  then  set  diligently  to  work 
up6n  "  The  God  in  the  Car,"  but  left  it  for  "  The  Pris- 
oner of  Zenda."  After  completing  the  temporarily 
abandoned  African  tale  he  began  writing  the  "  Dolly 
Dialogues,"  which  sparkled  with  such  Parisian  brilliance 
in  the  "  Westminster  Gazette."  Next  appeared  "  The 
Indiscretions  of  the  Duchess."  To  these  he  has  since 
added  "Phroso  "  and  "The  Heart  of  the  Princess  Osra." 


LIT. 
SIR  WALTER  BESANT'S  IDEAS  UPON  SUCCESS. 


SIR  WALTER  BESANT,  the  famous  Englishman,  was 
not  merely  an  authority  on  success  in  literature.  More, 
perhaps,  than  any  other  writer  since  Charles  Dickens, 
he  made  a  special  study  of  men,  and  of  the  conditions 
of  our  modern  civilization  in  its  intense  and  centralized 
form.  He  observed  with  keen  and  sympathetic  interest 
the  struggles  of  the  multitude,  of  the  common  people 
who  are  the  foundation  of  England's  greatness,  the 
sinews  of  England's  strength.  At  the  ripe  age  of  sixty, 
in  the  prime  of  intellectual  power,  enriched  and  fortified 
by  the  experience  of  more  than  half  a  century,  he  engaged 
in  a  work  more  important  than  any  previously  produced, 
—  a  work  dealing  with  that  vast  aggregation  of  humanity 
known  as  London,  with  its  contrast  of  Buckingham 
Palace  and  Whitechapel,  its  teeming  wealth  and  pitiful 
poverty. 

When  I  was  privileged  to  call  upon  him,  I  found  Sir 
Walter  deeply  engaged  in  the  preparation  of  what  will 
doubtless  be  accepted  as  one  of  the  most  notable  produc- 
tions of  his  pen,  "  The  Survey  of  London."  This  work, 
I  learned,  had  already  occupied  about  four  years  of  study 
and  writing,  and  it  would  be  quite  three  years  before  it 
could  be  finished. 

It  was  a  very  large  room,  this  workshop  of  Sir  Walter, 
306 


SIR    WALTER    BESANT. 


SIR    WALTER  £  US  ANT.  307 

on  the  second  floor,  with  two  huge  windows  looking  out 
upon  the  greenery  of  Soho  square.  The  three  walls  of  the 
roo^i  were  lined  with  bookcases  and  shelves  filled  with 
volumes  of  reference,  —  there  being  over  four  hundred 
volumes,  all  pertaining  to  the  subject  the  author  had  in 
hand,  —  and  all  about  were  maps  and  charts  and  open 
books  and  scraps  of  paper  containing  notes.  The  at- 
mosphere of  the  whole  room  suggested  work  as  the  pre- 
siding spirit. 


HE    AIMS    HIGH    AND    WORKS    HARD. 

So  absorbed  was  Sir  Walter  in  his  work  that  the  at- 
tendant had  closed  the  door  behind  me  ere  he  turned  in 
his  chair,  to  find  me  standing  expectantly  in  the  room. 
He  arose  and  came  forward  with  that  cordial  yet  digni- 
fied greeting  peculiar  to  the  English  gentleman,  and  so 
potent  in  putting  one  at  ease  at  once.  We  chatted  pleas- 
antly for  some  time  about  books,  and  it  was  then  that 
Sir  Walter  told  me  something  of  the  scope  of  his  present 
undertaking. 

"A  task  of  this  nature,"  I  ventured,  "must  be  very 
much  a  labor  of  love  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure.  And  all  our  tasks  should  be  such," 
replied  Sir  Walter. 

"  I  should  like  to  ask  you  what  you  consider  the  most 
important  quality  that  goes  to  make  success  possible  ?  " 

"  Industry,  by  all  means,"  replied  Sir  Walter,  impres- 
sively. "  Cultivate  the  habit  of  industry,  and  you  pos- 
sess the  chief  talisman  of  success." 

"  What,  in  your  opinion,  constitutes  success  ?  " 

"  The  measure  of  a  man's  success  must  be  according 
to  his  ability  and  his  deserts.  A  young  man  should  strive 
for  the  highest  goal  attainable  in  his  line  of  work.  The 


308  TALKS    WITH  ORE  AT    WORKERS. 

advancement  he  makes  from  the  station  in  which  he  was 
born  gives  the  degree  of  his  success." 

"  Have  material  circumstances  a  great  deal  to  do  with 
the  achievement  of  success  ?  "  I  asked. 

"Decidedly.  One  must  have  material  advantages. 
Take  my  own  life.  I  was  a  professor  in  a  college  in 
Mauritius  when  a  very  young  man.  If  I  had  been  con- 
tent to  remain  there,  should  I  have  been  successful  ? 
Assuredly  not.  I  would  have  been  buried  in  the  oblivion 
of  college  life  in  a  far-away  country.  I  realized  this  at 
an  early  stage  in  my  career,  and  determined  to  settle  in 
London,  because  here  were  the  opportunities  essential 
to  the  success  I  wished  to  achieve.  The  conditions 
which  surround  one  are  all-important." 

ACQUIRE     KNOWLEDGE     AND    CULTIVATE     SELF-RELIANCE. 

"  Success,  then,  is  only  to  be  achieved  by  having  ability 
and  being  alert  to  every  opportunity  in  life  ?  " 

"  Not  altogether.  It  must  be  admitted  that  chance  has 
a  great  deal  to  do  with  success.  The  accidents  in  busi- 
ness, the  friends  one  makes,  all  have  a  bearing  upon  a 
young  man's  career." 

"A  young  man,  then,  should  aim  to  make  many 
friends?" 

"  No,  not  by  any  means.  He  should  aim  to  make  as 
many  good  friends  as  possible." 

"To  a  young  man  standing  on  the  threshold  of  his 
business  life,  what  would  you  say  should  be  the  first 
aim  ?  " 

"  First,  absolutely,  he  should  aim  to  acquire  as  much 
knowledge  as  possible  —  to  have  what  Bacon  called  a 
'  full  mind.'  Next  he  should  possess  industry,  then  fear- 
lessness, —  that  is,  courage  in  attacking  a  subject.  To 
this  end  he  must  cultivate  self-reliance.  Then,  last,  but 


SIR    WALTER  BESANT.  309 

most  important  of  all,  he  must  know  his  own  mind.  He 
must  know  what  he  wants  to  do,  and  possess  sufficient 
good  judgment  to  know  whether  he  can  do  it,  or  can 
attain  to  it." 

"What,  in  your  estimation,  is  the  cause  of  so  many 
failures  ?  " 

"There  are  two  very  apparent  causes  of  failure.  One 
is,  that  many  are  physically  too  weak  to  stand  the  severe 
strain  which  a  life  of  effort  imposes,  and  the  other  is  the 
element  of  bad  luck.  This  must  be  reckoned  with,  I 
contend.  To  illustrate  my  meaning :  Chance  or  accident 
may  interfere  with  the  best-laid  plans,  and  defeat  the 
noblest  efforts.  Through  no  fault  of  his  own,  a  man 
may  fail  to  obtain  the  opportunity  to  prove  his  worth 
and  exert  his  ability.  I  remember  one  noteworthy  case 
of  this  kind.  A  college  man  of  the  highest  attainments 
applied  for  a  certain  place.  He  was  capable  of  filling 
it,  and  rising  to  greater  things.  But  luck  was  against 
him.  Another  man,  not  so  well  qualified,  got  the  place, 
and  circumstances  never  again  offered  a  field  where  pro- 
motion would  follow." 

"But  should  he  not  have  created  another  oppor- 
tunity ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Those  are  the  exceptional  men.  Many  men  possess 
great  ability,  but  only  a  few  possess  that  dominating  in- 
dividuality which  can  shape  events  and  conditions  to 
their  own  ends." 

A   CARDINAL    CAUSE    OF    FAILURE. 

"Another  very  important  cause  of  failure  that  I 
would  mention  is  inattention.  One  has  but  to  look 
about  to  see  everywhere  young  men  who  are  inattentive 
to  their  own  interests.  I  recall  now  an  incident  that 
happened  within  my  knowledge,  some  time  ago.  A  gen- 


310  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

tleman  controlling  a  very  large  business  called  a  number 
of  his  clerks  before  him,  and  told  them  that  in  about 
six  months'  time  the  establishment  would  want  a  clerk 
thoroughly  versed  in  shorthand.  The  clerk  best  fitted 
for  the  place,  when  the  time  arrived,  would  be  appointed, 
and  his  present  salary  doubled.  At  the  end  of  six 
months  the  same  clerks  were  again  summoned  before 
the  head  of  the  firm,  and  not  one  of  them  had  taken  the 
pains  to  learn  shorthand !  That  seems  incredible,  does 
it  not  ?  But  it  is  too  true.  That  is  only  one  instance  of 
the  many  golden  opportunities  that  are  always  being 
offered,  but  are  seldom  seized." 

"  It  is,  indeed,  surprising,"  I  observed.  "  It  has  always 
seemed  to  me  that  there  is  too  much  ambition  among  the 
young." 

"  Too  much  ?  "  ejaculated  Sir  Walter.  "  By  no  means. 
There  is  too  little,"  — with  much  emphasis,  —  "  and  this 
lack  of  ambition  is  most  manifest  among  the  sons  of 
men  who  have  achieved  success.  The  farmer's  boy  or 
the  mechanic's  son  is  usually  the  one  to  show  the 
ambition  and  energy  needed  to  win  a  place  and  a  name 
in  the  world." 

"You  do  not  hold,  then,  that  ambition  in  the  young  at 
times  needs  restraint  ?  "  I  queried. 

"Bestraint?  No.  Quite  the  contrary.  Give  it  free 
rein.  It  is  impossible  for  youth  to  have  too  much  am- 
bition. A  young  man  should  aim  for  the  highest  prize 
always." 

"  Are  there  any  general  rules  that  might  be  laid  down 
by  which  youth  should  be  governed  ?  " 

"  As  a  young  man  learns  to  govern  himself,  so  does  he 
strengthen  his  character  and  make  more  possible  the 
attainment  of  his  ambitions.  I  have  known  a  young  man 
who  was  given  to  smoking  and  drinking  in  a  moderate 


SIR    WALTER  BUS  ANT.  311 

way,  but  never  to  excess.  He  voluntarily,  for  certain 
periods,  forbade  himself  those  luxuries,  simply  that 
he  might  retain  mastery  of  himself  and  know  that  he 
was  master.  It  is  an  excellent  way  to  strengthen  char- 
acter. A  youth  cannot  succeed  if  he  be  not  industrious. 
If  he  has  naturally,  or  if  he  cultivates,  a  habit  of  in- 
dustry, it  will  be  all  the  restraining  influence  that  is 
necessary.  It  is  only  the  idle  who  are  given  to  frivolous 
pleasure,  and  they  must  be  considered  out  of  the  race." 

"  The  stringent  industrial  conditions  of  to-day  having 
a  tendency  to  make  each  individual  absorbed  in  his  own 
interests,  to  the  exclusion  of  others,  would  you  advise  a 
youth  to  cultivate  unselfishness  ?  " 

"  The  extreme  condition  of  selfishness  in  the  desire 
for  gain  is  deplorable,  to  be  sure,  but  I  believe  the  worst 
of  that  phase  has  been  experienced.  There  is  a  strong 
movement  at  this  day  toward  altruism  —  toward  a 
broadening  of  the  sympathies  of  the  individual  for  the 
world  at  large.  The  teaching  of  the  Socialists  has  done 
a  great  deal  of  good  in  this  respect,  though  their  theories 
are  absurd." 

"  May  not  the  study  and  imitation  of  the  lives  of 
great  men  affect  the  moulding  of  a  career  ?  Would  such 
a  course  be  superior  to  the  creation  of  an  individual 
ideal?" 


THE    CONTROLLING   MOTIVES    OF    LIFE. 

"  The  formation  of  an  ideal  is  much  altered  and  im- 
proved by  the  study  of  the  lives  of  great  men.  Every 
one  has  an  ideal,  even  though  it  may  be  a  low  and  un- 
worthy one.  A  young  man  would  certainly  find  his 
ideal  lifted  to  a  nobler  plane  by  the  study  of  great 
men." 


312  TALKS   WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

"  How  do  you  estimate  the  desire  for  fame  as  a  mo- 
tive for  effort?" 

"Desire  for  fame  is  not  so  great  as  the  desire  for 
advancement.  A  young  man  wants  to  get  ahead.  Fame 
is  not  so  great  an  attraction  as  the  desire  to  become  the 
master  instead  of  the  servant.  The  first  essential  is  that 
the  work  shall  be  congenial.  The  boy  who  goes  to  school, 
if  he  has  the  right  ideal,  aims  to  lift  himself  above  his 
classmates.  His  desire  is  to  be  first,  and  when  the  same 
boy  starts  on  his  business  career,  his  aim  is  to  climb  up- 
ward —  to  lift  himself  from  servant  to  master." 

"  It  is  true,  however,  is  it  not,  that  many  young  men 
would  like  to  be  authors  or  artists  who  might  do  better 
in  some  commercial  pursuit  ?  " 

"  Yes,  that  is  an  unfortunate  condition.  Commercial 
life  offers  a  great  deal  more  than  many  of  the  profes- 
sions, if  men  would  see  it.  It  must  be  pointed  out  that 
in  adopting  a  commercial  career,  a  young  man  has  odds 
in  his  favor.  There  are  more  degrees  of  success  attain- 
able. If  he  does  not  reach  the  highest  place,  there  are 
subordinate  places  which  offer  good  emolument,  and 
there  are  many  such  opportunities.  On  the  other  hand, 
in  adopting  a  profession,  one  must  be  fitted  for  it  in 
every  essential,  for  nothing  is  more  pitiful  than  the  fail- 
ure of  one  who  has  aimed  to  succeed  in  any  of  the  pro- 
fessions." 

LITERARY   OPPORTUNITIES    OF   TO-DAY. 

"  Do  you  regard  the  field  of  literature  as  a  good  pur- 
suit for  young  men  to-day  ?  " 

"In  literature  a  young  man  should  make  very  sure 
that  he  has  the  natural  aptitude  and  qualifications  that 
go  to  make  success.  This  I  think  should  be  most  forcibly 
impressed  upon  all  aspirants.  He  should  endeavor  to 


SIR    WALTER   BESANT.  313 

find  out  first  for  what  he  is  best  fitted,  and  then  bend 
every  energy  and  thought  to  master  the  chosen  occupa- 
tion. If  he  possesses  fair  judgment  of  his  own  abilities, 
and  can  listen  to  and  profit  by  the  advice  of  those  best 
able  to  assist  him,  he  has  accomplished  a  great  step  toward 
success." 

"  Can  cardinal  principles  be  laid  down  by  which  every 
young  man  should  try  to  rule  his  life  ?  Would  you  offer 
a  suggestion  in  this  regard  ?  " 

"  The  great  principle  of  all  is  that  he  should  find  out 
what  he  wants  to  do,  what  he  can  do,  and  then  make 
everything  subservient  to  the  attainment  of  this  end, 
remembering  always  that  industry,  honesty,  directness 
of  purpose,  never-failing  courage,  and  self-reliance  make 
the  only  sure  foundation  to  build  upon." 


LIU. 

A   TUKNING  POINT   IN  LIFE: 
AS   RELATED   TO   THE   AUTHOR  BY  IRA  D.  SANKEY. 


"  I  CONSIDER  Dwight  L.  Moody  the  most  remarkable 
man  of  the  century,  distinguished  especially  for  his 
devotion  to  the  cause  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  better- 
ment of  the  world.  His  character  was  marked  by  great 
common  sense,  and  by  the  utmost  sincerity ;  his  heart  by 
singleness  of  philanthropic  purpose,  and  his  life  by  the 
tremendous  power  of  achievement.  His  work  has  re- 
sulted in  the  conversion  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  men 
and  women  in  the  two  great  English-speaking  nations, 
England  and  America,  marking  him  as  the  greatest 
religious  general  of  his  day.  I  believe  his  name  will  be 
held  in  everlasting  remembrance  by  millions  of  the  best 
people  in  the  world. 

.  "  The  manner  in  which  I  made  the  acquaintance  of 
Mr.  Moody  may  be  of  interest.  For  twelve  or  fifteen 
years  prior  to  1870  I  had  been  engaged  in  Christian 
work,  using  my  voice  in  prayer  and  song  in  my  home 
church  in  New  Castle,  Penn.,  and  all  over  Pennsylvania 
and  Ohio,  when  I  was  sent  as  a  delegate  from  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  New  Castle  to 
the  great  convention  in  Indianapolis  in  that  year.  It 
was  announced  that  Mr.  Moody  would  lead  an  early  Sun- 

314 


DWIGHT  L.    MOODY.  315 

day  morning  prayer  meeting  in  a  Baptist  church.  I  had 
never  seen  him  up  to  this  time,  so  I  determined  to  attend 
the  meeting.  I  arrived  rather  late,  and  sat  down  near 
the  door.  At  my  right  hand  was  a  minister  from  my 
own  county,  the  pastor  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church.  He  said  to  me,  as  I  took  a  seat  near  him : 

" '  Mr.  Sankey,  the  singing  at  this  meeting  has  been 
very  poor.  When  the  man  who  is  now  praying  gets 
through,  I  wish  you  would  start  up  something.' 

"  Being  thus  urged  by  a  psalm-singing  minister  to  raise 
a  Gospel  hymn  in  a  prayer  meeting,  I  immediately  sang 
the  old  familiar  hymn,  '  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with 
blood,  drawn  from  Immanuel's  veins.'  This  was  my  first 
song  in  a  Moody  meeting.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  ser- 
vice my  ministerial  friend  offered  to  introduce  me  to 
Mr.  Moody,  and  seeing  that  others  were  going,  I  joined 
the  procession.  The  moment  he  was  introduced,  Mr. 
Moody  asked  abruptly  : 

"  4  Where  do  you  live  ?  ' 

" '  In  Pennsylvania/  I  replied. 

"  '  Are  you  married  ?  ' 

"  '  I  am.' 

" (  What  business  are  you  in  ?  ' 

" '  I  am  a  government  officer,  connected  with  the  in- 
ternal revenue  service,'  I  answered,  hardly  knowing  what 
his  motive  could  be  in  subjecting  me  to  such  a  cross- 
examination. 

"'Well/  he  said,  ( you '11  have  to  give  that  up.  I've 
been  looking  for  you  for  eight  years.' 

"  I  asked  him  what  for,  and  he  said  he  wanted  me  to 
go  with  him  to  Chicago  and  help  him  in  his  Christian 
work.  I  told  him  I  did  n't  think  I  could  do  it.  He  then 
asked  me  if  I  would  join  him  in  prayer  in  regard  to  it, 
and  I  replied  that  I  would  most  gladly  do  so. 


316  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

"  I  presume  I  prayed  one  way  and  he  prayed  another. 
However,  it  only  took  him  six  months  to  pray  me  out  of 
business. 

"  After  resigning  my  position  under  the  government,  I 
joined  him  in  Chicago,  working  for  a  year  and  a  half  in 
his  own  church,  and  under  the  auspices  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  in  that  city.  When  Chicago 
was  destroyed  by  fire,  Mr.  Moody  raised  money  to  re- 
build his  church  at  the  corner  of  Chicago  avenue  and 
North  Wells  street,  and  we  accepted  an  invitation  to  go 
to  England  and  preach  the  Gospel.  We  sailed  in  June, 
1873.  On  arriving  at  Queenstown  we  received  letters 
announcing  that  both  of  the  men  who  had  invited  us  to 
England  had  died  and  were  in  their  graves.  We  were 
thus  left  without  an  invitation,  without  a  committee, 
without  money,  and  without  friends.  At  Liverpool  we 
stopped  over  night  at  a  public  hotel.  Mr.  Moody  de- 
clared to  me  that  as  the  door  seemed  to  have  been  closed 
to  us  in  England,  we  would  not  ourselves  attempt  to 
open  any.  If  the  Lord  opened  a  door,  we  would  go  in, 
otherwise  we  would  return  to  America.  That  night  Mr. 
Moody  found  an  unopened  letter  among  his  papers ;  it 
had  been  received  before  we  sailed,  and  it  proved  to  be  an 
invitation  to  the  effect  that  if  we  ever  came  to  England 
we  would  be  gladly  welcomed  at  York,  to  speak  for  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  there.  Mr.  Moody 
said  at  once,  '  We  will  go  to  York,'  and  we  started  next 
morning.  Our  meetings  there  for  the  first  day  or  two 
were  not  large.  On  the  third  day  the  building  began  to 
fill.  At  the  end  of  the  week  no  building  in  the  city 
would  hold  all  the  people  who  desired  to  attend.  It  was 
here  we  met  a  young  Baptist  clergyman,  the  Rev.  F.  B. 
Meyer,  who  received  a  spiritual  quickening  which  he 
declares  has  been  with  him  ever  since,  and  who  has  be- 


DWIGHT  L.  MOODY.  317 

come  so  prominent  in  American  evangelical  work.  The 
singing  of  our  American  Gospel  hymns  created  great  in- 
terest at  every  point  we  visited,  and  especially  such  solos 
as  ' Jesus  of  Nazareth/  'Come  Home,  O  Prodigal/ 
' Almost  Persuaded/  and  'Free  from  the  Law/  I  had 
not  yet  begun  to  sing  the  'Ninety  and  Nine.'  At  New- 
castle-on-Tyne  we  received  the  first  printed  recognition 
of  the  extent  and  influence  of  our  work  in  the  shape  of 
an  editorial  in  the  '  Newcastle  Chronicle/  a  friendly, 
honest,  and  frank  statement  over  the  signature  of  Mr. 
Cowen,  member  of  parliament  for  that  section.  It  did 
us  lots  of  good,  made  our  mission  known  to  all  Great 
Britain,  and  helped  us  wherever  we  went.  We  closed  in 
London  in  1875,  after  marvellous  results.  We  have 
made  two  or  three  similar  visits  since." 


LIV. 

THE  PRACTICAL   TALENT   OF   A  MANY-SIDED 

MAN. 


IT  was  misfortune  that  proved  the  fortunate  turning- 
point  for  Dr.  Russell  H.  Conwell,  the  pastor  of  the 
largest  church  in  America,  and  president  of  Temple 
College,  which  has  upward  of  eight  thousand  students. 
He  had  not  been  unsuccessful  prior  to  his  ordination  to 
the  ministry ;  on  the  contrary,  he  had  been  a  successful 
newspaper  man  and  lawyer,  and  had  served  with  dis- 
tinction in  the  Civil  war.  But  in  the  panic  of  1873  he 
lost  most  of  his  investments.  I  quote  his  own  words : 

"  I  then  wondered  —  being  always  of  a  religous  tem- 
perament —  why  I  should  make  money  my  goal." 

We  sat  in  his  study,  and  he  spoke  thus  of  his  interest- 
ing life :  — 

"I  was  born  at  South  Worthington,  Hampshire 
County,  Mass.,  Feb.  15,  1843,  on  my  father's  farm,  called 
the  '  Eagle's  Nest/  on  account  of  its  high  and  rocky  sur- 
roundings. At  three  years  of  age  I  went  to  school,  and, 
when  I  grew  older,  worked  on  the  farm.  I  was  some- 
times laughed  at  because  I  always  carried  a  book  around 
with  me,  studying  and  memorizing  as  I  worked.  Yet  I 
was  dull  and  stupid,  never  stood  high  in  my  classes,  and 
could  not  grasp  a  subject  as  quickly  as  others.  But  I 
would  stick  to  it.  I  am  just  as  dull  now,  but  I  preserve 

318 


RUSSELL   H.    CONWELL.  319 

my  old  habit  of  stick-to-it-iveness.  If  I  am  driving  a 
tack  and  it  goes  in  crooked,  I  lift  it  out,  bend  it  straight, 
and  send  it  home.  That  is  one  of  my  golden  rules  that 
I  force  myself  to  obey. 

"I  went  to  Wilbraham,  and,  in  1861,  entered  Yale 
College,  taking  up  law,  but  the  breaking  out  of  the  war 
interrupted  my  studies.  I  enlisted,  but,  being  only 
eighteen  years  of  age,  my  father  made  me  '  right  about 
face/  and  come  home.  If  I  could  not  fight,  I  could 
speak,  and  I  delivered  orations  all  over  my  native  State, 
and  was  in  some  demand  in  Boston.  Finally,  in  1862,  I 
could  stand  the  strain  no  longer,  and  my  father,  already 
greatly  interested  in  the  war,  permitted  me  to  go  to  the 
field. 

"I  returned  a  colonel,  suffering  from  a  wound,  cam- 
paigns, and  imprisonment,  and  entered  the  law  school  of 
the  Albany  University,  from  which  I  was  graduated  in 
1865. 

"  I  married  and  moved  to  the  great  far  West,  to  the 
then  small  town  of  Minneapolis.  Then  I  suffered  the 
usual  uphill  experiences  and  privations  of  a  young 
lawyer  trying  to  make  his  way  single-handed.  I  opened 
a  law  office  in  a  two-story  stone  building  on  Bridge  square. 
My  clients  did  not  come,  and  poverty  stared  me  and  my 
wife  in  the  face.  I  became  an  agent  for  Thompson 
Brothers,  of  St.  Paul,  in  the  sale  of  land  warrants. 

"  Fortune  favored  me  in  business,  and  I  also  became 
the  Minneapolis  correspondent  of  the  (  St.  Paul  Press.' 
I  acquired  some  real  estate,  and  took  part  in  politics. 
Having  once  dipped  into  journalism,  I  started  a  paper 
of  my  own,  called  '  Gonwell's  Star  of  the  North.7  Then 
the  sheriff  made  his  appearance,  and  turned  the  concern 
over  to  a  man  with  more  capital.  Next  I  brought  the 
'Minneapolis  Daily  Chronicle '  to  life.  It  united  with 


320  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

the  '  Atlas/  and  the  combined  papers  formed  the  founda- 
tion for  the  great -journal  of  Minneapolis,  the  <  Tribune.' 

"I  continued  to  practise  law.  My  wife  and  myself 
lived  in  two  small  rooms.  The  front  one  was  my  office, 
and  the  back  one,  kitchen,  parlor,  sitting-room,  and  bed- 
room. I  had  never  fully  recovered  from  my  wound 
received  in  the  war.  I  knew  Governor  Marshall,  and  it 
was  he  who  appointed  me  emigration  commissioner  for 
the  State  of  Minnesota.  My  duties,  of  course,  took  me 
to  Europe." 

When  Dr.  Conwell  arrived  in  Europe,  his  health,  that 
had  been  breaking  down,  gradually  gave  way,  and  he 
gave  up  his  place  as  commissioner.  For  a  while  he  rested ; 
then  for  several  months  he  attended  lectures  at  the 
University  of  Leipsic.  That  pilgrimage  was  followed  by 
a  number  of  other  journeys  across  the  Atlantic  to  the 
principal  countries  of  Europe  and  to  Northern  Africa. 

"  In  1870,"  continued  Dr.  Conwell,  "  I  made  a  tour  of 
the  world  as  special  correspondent  for  the  '  New  York 
Tribune '  and  the  '  Boston  Traveler.7  I  then  exposed 
the  iniquities  of  Chinese  contract  immigration.  I  next 
returned  to  Boston  and  law,  and  became  editor  of  the 
'  Boston  Traveler.7 " 

"But,  doctor,  had  you  never  entertained  a  desire  to 
enter  the  ministry  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  All  my  life  I  studied  theology.  The  question  was 
before  me  always  :  Shall  it  be  law  or  the  ministry  ?  The 
change  came  after  I  had  lost  considerable  money  in  the 
panic  of  1873.  Then  came  death  into  my  home,  and 
the  loss  of  my  first  wife.  I  turned  to  missionary  work 
in  Boston.  As  time  rolled  on,  I  became  more  interested. 
But  the  turning-point  was  really  brought  about  by  a  law 
case.  There  was  a  meeting-house  in  Lexington,  Mass., 
in  1877,  dilapidated  and  old.  The  congregation  had  left 


RUSSELL  H.    CON  WELL.  321 

it,  so  the  few  old  persons  who  remained  decided  that  it 
should  be  sold,  They  wished  to  consult  a  lawyer,  and 
called  me  to  Lexington.  Standing  on  the  platform,  I 
asked  the  few  present  to  vote  upon  the  question.  The 
edifice  had  been  dear  to  some  of  them,  and  they  hemmed 
and  hawed,  and  could  n't  decide. 

"At  length  I  suggested  that  they  put  new  life  into 
the  place.  But  interest  in  the  building  as  a  place  of 
worship  seemed  to  have  departed,  although  they  did  not 
care  to  see  it  torn  down. 

"  On  the  spur  of  the  moment  I  said  that,  if  they 
would  gather  there  the  following  Sunday  morning,  I 
would  address  them.  A  few  came  at  first,  then  more. 
We  had  to  rent  a  hall  in  another  place.  I  suggested  that 
they  should  get  a  pastor. 

"  To  my  surprise,  they  replied  that  if  I  would  be  their 
pastor  they  would  erect  a  new  church. 

"  I  studied  for  the  ministry.  One  day  I  startled  the 
quaint  village  of  Lexington  by  demolishing  the  little 
old  church  with  an  axe.  The  people  were  aroused  by  my 
spirit,  and  gave  donations  for  a  new  church.  I  worked 
with  the  men  we  hired  to  construct  it,  and  afterwards 
attended  the  Newton  Theological  Seminary.  Seventeen 
years  ago  I  came  to  Philadelphia  as  pastor  of  this 
church,  which  then  worshipped  in  a  basement  some 
squares  away." 

"  But  Temple  College,  doctor ;  how  was  that  started  ?  " 

"  About  fourteen  years  ago  a  poor  young  man  came  to 
me  to  ask  my  advice  how  to  obtain  a  college  education. 
I  offered  to  be  his  teacher.  Then  others  joined  until 
there  were  six.  The  number  was  gradually  enlarged  to 
forty,  when  the  idea  came  to  me  to  found  a  people's 
college.  Certain  gentlemen  became  interested  and  we 
erected  Temple  College,  which  was  then  connected  with 


322  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

this  church,  but  now  is  a  separate  and  distinct  institu- 
tion. We  hope  shortly  to  have  it  like  the  New  York 
University.  We  have  rented  a  number  of  outside  build- 
ings, and  have  a  law  school  and  a  seminary.  About  four 
thousand  attend  the  evening  classes,  while  four  thousand 
attend  the  special  day  classes." 

"  And  you  are  the  president  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  How  do  you  manage  to  keep  up  in  all  the  studies  ?  " 
I  asked.  "  Do  you  carry  text-books  around  with  you  in 
your  pockets  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  I  always  have.  I  study  all  the  time.  I 
have  acquired  several  languages  in  that  way." 

"  When  do  you  prepare  your  sermons  ?  " 

"  I  have  never  prepared  a  lecture  or  a  sermon  in  my 
life,  and  I  have  lectured  for  thirty-seven  years.  I  seldom 
use  even  notes.  When  in  the  pulpit  I  rivet  my  attention 
on  preaching,  and  think  of  nothing  else. 

"Application  in  the  most  severe  form,  and  honesty, 
are  the  means  by  which  true  success  is  attained.  No 
matter  what  you  do,  do  it  to  your  utmost.  You  and  I 
may  not  do  something  as  well  as  some  one  else,  but  no 
stone  should  be  unturned  to  do  it  to  the  best  of  our 
individual  ability.  I  have  had  a  varied  life,  and  many 
experiences,  and  I  attribute  my  success,  if  you  are  so 
pleased  to  call  it,  to  always  requiring  myself  to  do  my 
level  best,  if  only  in  driving  a  tack  in  straight." 


LV. 

THE  POWER   OF  ORATORY, 
AND  COUNSEL  BY  A  LEADER  OF  YOUNG  MEN. 


ONE  of  the  brightest  examples  of  early  success  in  life 
is  Frank  W.  Gunsaulus,  D.D.,  one  of  the  sincerest  friends 
of  young  men  striving  to  climb  upward  that  America  has 
produced.  Chicago  has  helped  him,  and  he  has  helped 
Chicago  to  do  great  things.  During  his  six  years  of  min- 
istry in  that  city,  before  he  left  the  pulpit  and  became 
president  of  Armour  Institute,  he  founded  two  notable  in- 
stitutions and  raised  over  seven  millions  in  money  for 
charitable  purposes.  On  the  stormiest  of  Sunday  evenings, 
after  a  newspaper  announcement  that  he  will  speak,  an 
audience  two  thousand  five  hundred  strong  will  gather  to 
hear  him.  It  was  not  an  imcommon  sight  during  a  series 
of  winter  sermons  for  men,  anxious  to  hear  the  splendid 
orator,  to  be  lifted  through  windows  of  Central  Music 
Hall  when  no  more  could  get  in  at  the  doors.  His  most 
conspicuous  labor  has  been  in  connection  with  the  famous 
Armour  Institute  of  Technology,  which  now  has  twelve 
hundred  students.  When  Mr.  Armour  gave  the  money 
for  it  he  did  it  upon  condition  that  Dr.  Gunsaulus  should 
be  its  president  during  five  years.  This  position  has 
been  now  relinquished  that  the  Central  Music  Hall  work 
may  be  resumed, 

323 


324  TALKS   WITH   GREAT  WORKERS. 


THE    PREACHER   AS    A    POWER. 

I  found  him  in  the  president's  office  of  Armour  Insti- 
tute. 

"  Do  you  think/'  I  said,  "  that  it  is  more  difficult  for  a 
preacher  to  become  a  power  in  the  nation  than  it  is  for  a 
merchant,  a  lawyer,  or  a  politician  ?  " 

"  Rather  hard  to  say,"  he  answered. 

"There  are  prejudices  against  and  sympathies  in  favor 
of  every  class  and  profession.  I  think,  however,  that  a 
preacher  is  more  like  a  doctor  in  his  career.  He  is  likely 
to  make  a  strong  local  impression,  but  not  apt  to  become 
a  national  figure.  Given  powerful  convictions,  an  under- 
taking of  things  as  they  are  to-day,  and  steady  work 
in  the  direction  of  setting  things  right,  and  you  may  be 
sure  a  man  is  at  least  heading  in  the  direction  of  public 
favor  whether  he  ever  attains  it  or  not." 

"  How  did  you  manage  to  do  the  work  you  have  done 
in  so  short  a  time  ?  " 

"  In  the  first  place  I  don't  think  I  have  done  so  very 
much  ;  and  in  the  second  place  the  time  seems  rather  long 
for  what  I  have  done.  I  have  worked  hard,  however." 

ORATORICAL    TRAINING. 

"  I  thought  to  be  a  lawyer  in  my  youth,  and  did  study 
law  and  oratory.  My  father  was  a  country  lawyer  at 
Chesterfield,  Ohio,  where  I  was  born,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Ohio  Legislature  during  the  war.  He  was  a  very 
effective  public  speaker  himself,  and  thought  that  I 
ought  to  be  an  orator.  So  he  did  everything  to  give  me 
a  bent  in  that  direction,  and  often  took  me  as  many  as 
twenty  miles  to  hear  a  good  oration. 

"  Of  men  who  have  influenced  me  I  admired  Fisher 
Ames  to  begin  with ;  and  of  course  Webster.  I  think 


FRANK   W.    OUNSAULUS.  325 

Wendell  Phillips  and  Bishop  Matthew  Simpson,  whom  I 
heard  a  few  times,  had  the  greatest  influence  on  me.  I 
considered  them  wonderful,  moving  speakers,  and  I  do 
yet.  Later  on  Henry  Ward  Beecher  and  Phillips  Brooks 
attracted  my  admiration." 

"  Did  you  have  leisure  for  study  and  time  to  hear  ora- 
tions when  you  were  beginning  life  ?" 

"  In  early  years  I  attended  the  district  school.  From 
my  twelfth  to  my  eighteenth  year  I  worked  on  the  farm 
and  studied  nights. 

PRACTICAL    PREPARATION    FOR    HIS    CALLING. 

"  For  all  my  father's  urgings  toward  the  bar  I  always 
felt  an  inward  drawing  toward  the  ministry,  because  I 
felt  that  I  could  do  more  there.  My  father  was  not  a 
member  of  any  church,  though  my  mother  was  an  earnest 
Presbyterian.  Without  any  prompting  from  my  parents 
I  leaned  toward  the  ministry,  and  finally  entered  it  of 
my  own  accord.  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  a  young 
companion  who  was  also  studying  for  the  ministry. 
We  were  the  best  of  friends  and  helped  each  other  a  great 
deal.  It  was  our  custom  to  prepare  sermons  and  preach 
them  m  each  other's  presence.  Our  audience  in  that 
case,  unlike  that  of  the  church,  never  hesitated  to  point 
out  errors.  The  result  was  that  some  sermons  ended  in 
arguments  between  the  audience  and  the  preacher  as  to 
the  facts  involved. 

"  I  was  graduated  from  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  Seminary 
in  debt.  I  had  no  reputation  for  piety  and  I  don't  re- 
member that  I  pretended  to  any.  I  had  convictions, 
however,  and  a  burning  desire  to  do  something,  to  achieve 
something  for  the  benefit  of  my  fellow-men,  and  I  was 
ready  for  the  first  opportunity." 


326  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 


EIGHTY-SEVEN   CENTS   A   DAY   SALARY. 

"  Was  it  long  in  coming  ?  " 

"  No ;  but  you  would  not  have  considered  it  much  of 
an  opportunity.  I  took  charge  of  a  small  church  at  Har- 
risburg,  Ohio,  at  a  salary  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
dollars  a  year.  In  preaching  regularly  I  soon  found  it 
necessary  to  formulate  some  kind  of  a  theory  of  life  — 
to  strike  for  some  definite  object.  I  began  to  feel  the 
weight  of  the  social  problem. 

ARE   THE   DICE   OF   LIFE   LOADED  ? 

"  One  important  fact  began  to  make  itself  plain ;  and 
that  was,  that  the  modern  young  man  is  more  or  less 
discouraged  by  the  growing  belief  that  all  things  are  fall- 
ing into  the  hands  of  great  corporations  and  trusts,  and 
that  the  individual  no  longer  has  much  chance.  My 
father  had  been  more  or  less  of  a  fatalist  in  his  view  of 
life,  and  often  quoted  Emerson  to  me,  to  the  effect  that 
the  dice  of  life  are  loaded  and  fall  according  to  a 
plan.  My  mother  leaned  to  the  doctrine  of  Calvin  —  to 
predestination.  I  inherited  a  streak  of  the  same  feeling, 
and  the  conditions  I  observed  made  me  feel  that  there 
was  probably  something  in  the  theory.  I  had  to  battle 
this  down,  and  convince  myself  that  we  are  what  we  choose 
to  make  ourselves.  Then  I  had  to  set  to  work  to  counter- 
act the  discouraging  view  taken  by  the  young  people 
about  me." 

"  You  were  a  Methodist,  then  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  was  admitted  to  preach  in  that  body,  but  it 
was  not  long  before  I  had  an  attack  of  transcendentalism, 
and  fell  out  with  the  Methodist  elder  of  my  district. 
The  elder  was  wholly  justified.  He  was  a  dry  old  gen- 
tleman, with  a  fund  of  common  sense.  After  one  of  my 


FRANK    W.    GUNSAULUS.  327 

flights,  in  which  I  advocated  perfection  far  above  the 
range  of  humankind,  he  came  to  me  and  said :  '  My  dear 
yonng  man,  don't  you  know  that  people  have  to  live  on 
this  planet?'  The  rebuke  struck  me  as  earthly  then, 
but  it  has  grown  in  humor  and  common  sense  since. 

"I  left  voluntarily.  I  knew  I  was  not  satisfactory  ? 
and  so  I  went  away.  I  married  when  I  was  twenty.  I 
preached  in  several  places,  and  obtained  a  charge  at  Co- 
lumbus, Ohio." 


"  When  did  you  begin  to  have  a  visible  influence  on 
affairs,  such  as  you  have  since  exercised  ?  " 

"  Just  as  soon  as  I  began  to  formulate  and  follow  what 
I  considered  to  be  the  true  ideal  of  the  minister." 

"  And  that  ideal  was  ?  " 

"  That  the  question  to  be  handled  by  a  preacher  must 
not  be  theological,  but  sociological." 

"  How  did  this  conviction  work  out  at  Columbus  ?  " 

"  The  church  became  too  small  for  the  congregation, 
and  so  we  had  to  move  to  the  opera  house. 

"  My  work  there  showed  me  that  any  place  may  be  a 
pulpit  —  editorial  chair,  managerial  chair,  almost  any- 
thing. I  began  to  realize  that  a  whole  and  proper  work 
would  be  to  get  hold  of  the  Christian  forces  outside  the 
ecclesiastical  machine,  and  get  them  organized  into  activ- 
ity. I  was  not  sure  about  my  plan  yet,  however,  and  so 
I  left  Columbus  for  Newtonville,  Mass.,  and  took  time 
to  review  my  studies.  There  I  came  under  the  in- 
fluence of  Phillips  Brooks.  When  I  began  once  more  to 
get  a  clear  idea  of  what  I  wanted  to  do,  I  went  to  Balti- 
more, on  a  call,  and  preached  two  years  at  the  Brown 
Memorial  Presbyterian  Church. 

"  I  came  to  Chicago  in  1872.     Plymouth  Church  offered 


328  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

an  absolutely  free  pulpit,  and  an  opportunity  to  work  out 
some  plans  that  I  thought  desirable." 

HIS    WORK   IN   CHICAGO. 

"  How  did  you  go  about  your  work  in  this  city  ?  " 

"  The  first  thing  that  seemed  necessary  for  me  to  do 
was  to  find  a  place  where  homeless  boys  of  the  city  who 
had  drifted  into  error  and  troubles  of  various  kinds 
could  be  taken  into  the  country  and  educated.  I  preached 
a  sermon  on  this  subject,  and  one  member  gave  a  fine 
farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  for  the  purpose. 
Plymouth  Church  built  Plymouth  Cottage  there,  and  the 
Illinois  Training  School  was  moved  there,  and  other  ad- 
ditions were  made,  gradually  adding  to  its  usefulness." 

"  The  church  grew  under  your  ministration  there,  did 
it  not  ?  " 

"  You  can  leave  off  that  about  me.  It  grew,  yes  ;  and 
we  established  a  mission." 

"  Was  there  not  a  sum  raised  for  this  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  Mr.  Joseph  Armour  gave  a  hundred  thousand 
dollars  to  house  this  mission,  and  the  church  has  since 
aided  it  in  various  ways." 

"  This  Armour  Institute  is  an  idea  of  yours,  is  it  not  ?  " 

"  Well,  it  is  in  line  with  my  ideas  in  what  it  accom- 
plishes. It  is  the  outcome  of  Mr.  Armour's  great  phil- 
anthropy." 

"  Do  you  find,  now  that  you  have  experimented  so  much, 
that  your  ideals  concerning  what  ought  to  be  done  for  the 
world  were  too  high  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  On  the  contrary,"  answered  Dr.  G-unsaulus,  "  I  have 
sometimes  felt  that  they  were  not  high  enough.  If  they 
had  been  less  than  they  are,  I  should  not  have  accom- 
plished what  I  have." 


FRANK   W.    GUNSAULUS.  329 


OVERWORK. 

"  What  has  been  your  experience  as  to  working 
hours?" 

"  I  have  worked  twelve  and  fourteen,  at  times  even 
eighteen  hours  a  day,  particularly  when  I  was  working 
to  establish  this  institution,  but  I  paid  for  it  dearly.  I 
suffered  a  paralytic  stroke  which  put  me  on  my  back  for 
nine  months,  and  in  that  time  you  see  I  not  only  suffered, 
but  lost  all  I  had  gained  by  the  extra  hours." 

"  You  believe  in  meeting  great  emergencies  with  great 
individual  energy  ?  " 

"  There  does  n't  seem  to  be  any  way  out  of  it.  A  man 
must  work  hard,  extra  hard,  at  times,  or  lose  many  a 
battle." 

THE   TRAINING    OF    YOUTH   FOR   SERVICE. 

"  You  believe  the  chances  for  young  men  to-day  are  as 
good  as  in  times  gone  by  ?  " 

"  I  certainly  do.  That  is  my  whole  doctrine.  The 
duties  devolving  on  young  men  are  growing  greater,  more 
important,  more  valuable  all  the  time.  The  wants  of  the 
world  seem  to  grow  larger,  more  urgent  every  day 
What  all  young  men  need  to  do  is  to  train  themselves. 
They  must  train  their  hands  to  deftness,  train  their  eyes 
to  see  clearly,  and  their  ears  to  hear  and  understand. 
Look  at  the  call  there  is  going  to  be  upon  young  men 
when  this  country  will  be  organizing  its  new  possessions, 
and  opening  up  new  fields  of  activity.  What  the  world 
needs  is  young  men  equipped  to  do  the  work.  There  is 
always  work  to  be  done." 

"  You  think  in  your  own  field  there  is  a  call  for  en- 
ergetic young  men  ?  " 

u  It  never  was  greater.     A  young  preacher  who  looks 


330  TALKS    WITH  GREAT    WORKERS. 

around  him,  studies  the  conditions,  finds  out  just  a  few 
of  the  ten  thousand  important  things  that  are  going  beg- 
ging for  some  one  to  do  them,  and  then  proceeds  to  work 
for  their  accomplishment,  will  succeed  beyond  his  wildest 
dreams. 

"The  world  looks  for  leaders,  it  looks  for  men  who 
are  original,  able,  and  practical ;  and  all  I  have  got  to  say 
to  a  young  man  is  simply  to  find  out  clearly  all  about  a 
need  in  a  certain  direction,  and  then  lead  on  to  the  allevia- 
tion of  it.  Money,  influence,  honor,  will  all  follow  along 
after  to  help." 


LVL 

AMERICAN    DIPLOMACY    IN    KOREA. 


THE  career  of  Dr.  Horace  Newton  Allen,  the  United 
States  minister  to  Korea,  furnishes  a  striking  example  of 
the  sort  of  stuff  from  which  to  make  the  successful  mis- 
sionaries and  diplomats  who  must  deal  with  the  perplex- 
ing problems  of  the  Far  East. 

Dr.  Allen  was  born  some  forty  years  ago,  in  the  college 
town  of  Delaware,  Ohio.  He  came  of  the  same  stock  as 
Ethan  Allen,  the  hero  of  Ticonderoga,  who  was  his 
father's  great-uncle.  He  stands  six  feet  two  inches  in 
height.  His  eye  is  clear  and  steady,  his  countenance 
pleasing,  and  his  manner  frank  and  engaging.  He  has  a 
way  of  looking  at  his  interlocutor  with  an  intentness 
which  indicates  his  earnestness  of  character.  His  hair 
and  beard  are  auburn.  His  college  classmates  say  that, 
as  a  boy,  he  was  a  general  favorite,  full  of  all  sorts  of 
merry  pranks. 

When  he  had  completed  his  freshman  year  in  college, 
he  abandoned  the  intention  of  graduating,  and  entered  a 
store  in  the  town  for  the  purpose  of  making  his  own  liv- 
ing. Soon  afterwards,  in  a  little  missionary  meeting,  led 
by  one  of  the  ladies  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  of  which 
he  was  a  member,  he  became  convinced  that  it  was  his 
duty  to  become  a  foreign  missionary.  His  employer 
agreed  to  allow  him  to  resume  his  studies  in  the  college, 

331 


332  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

giving  him  employment  during  his  vacations  and  Sat- 
urdays, thus  enabling  him  to  support  himself.  He  was 
graduated  from  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  in  1882, 
and  the  next  year  attended  the  Ohio  Medical  College  at 
Columbus,  and  afterwards  the  Cincinnati  Medical  College, 
from  which  he  was  graduated.  After  graduation,  the 
Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  appointed  him 
as  a  medical  missionary  and  sent  him  to  China,  in  the 
fall  of  1884.  His  wife,  who  was  graduated  with  him  in 
the  same  class  in  college,  accompanied  him. 

In  the  meantime,  Commodore  Shufeldt,  of  the  United 
States  navy,  had  succeeded  in  opening  certain  ports  of 
Korea  to  the  United  States.  A  treaty  with  Korea  was 
signed  May  7,  1882,  and  it  became  possible,  for  the  first 
time,  for  missionaries  to  enter  Korea.  Dr.  Allen  was  the 
first  missionary  ever  sent  under  the  new  treaty,  arriving 
in  December,  1884,  in  the  midst  of  a  rebellion. 

HE    MINISTERED    TO    FRIEND    AND    FOE. 

This  insurrection,  the  precursor  of  the  Chino-Japanese 
war,  was  caused  by  the  admission  of  foreigners  into  the 
hermit  kingdom.  Rioting  made  Seoul,  the  capital  of 
Korea,  too  dangerous  for  the  foreigners  from  the  Western 
world  to  remain,  and  all  fled  to  the  protection  of  the 
United  States  gunboat  at  Chemulpo.  Dr.  Allen  and  his 
wife  alone  remained  throughout  the  whole  trouble.  So 
desperate  was  the  danger  at  one  time  that,  when  he  was 
summoned  from  his  home  to  attend  those  who  had  been 
wounded,  he  instructed  his  wife,  if  he  should  be  killed, 
and  if  worst  should  come  to  worst,  how  to  use  his  re- 
volver, how  first  to  save  their  babe  from  torture,  and  then 
how  to  save  herself  from  the  unspeakable  atrocities  to 
which  she  would  be  subjected,  if  she  should  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  mob. 


HORACE  NEWTON  ALLEN.  333 

During  this  rebellion,  Dr.  Allen  ministered  to  the 
wounded  on  both  sides  with  great  impartiality  and  skill. 
Some  twenty  of  the  palace  guards  recovered,  under  his 
care,  from  stabs  or  gunshot  wounds.  One  of  the  wounded 
was  Prince  Min  Yong  Ik,  a  nephew  of  the  queen.  When 
Dr.  Allen  was  summoned  to  the  palace  to  treat  him,  he 
found  the  prince,  who  had  been  stabbed  in  nearly  a  dozen 
places,  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  native  physicians,  who 
were  trying  to  stanch  the  flow  of  blood  by  filling  the 
wounds  with  warm  wax.  Summoning  the  little  Chinese 
that  he  could  speak,  Dr.  Allen  exclaimed,  as  the  first 
condition  before  he  would  undertake  the  case :  "  Put 
these  fellows  out ! "  He  then  bound  the  severed  arteries 
with  ligatures  and  sewed  up  the  wounds.  The  royal 
patient  recovered. 

Out  of  gratitude,  the  king  established  a  government 
hospital  and  provided  for  its  equipment  and  running  ex- 
penses, granting,  for  the  purpose,  the  property  of  one  of 
the  noblemen  who  had  been  killed  in  the  insurrection. 
Dr.  Allen  was  made  the  resident  physician,  and  also  the 
palace  physician. 

HOW   THE    PHYSICIAN    WAS    PROMOTED. 

The  king  soon  learned  that  his  physician  was  a  man  to 
be  trusted.  Other  foreigners  there  were;  but  although 
they  spoke  the  truth  and  kept  their  promises,  somehow 
the  Koreans  were  always  the  losers  in  the  bargains 
made.  They  were  in  Korea  to  enrich  themselves ;  but 
here  was  a  man  who  had  left  his  home  to  live  in  Korea 
for  the  sake  of  the  Koreans.  High  rank  and  substantial 
rewards  were  repeatedly  offered  to  the  missionary, 
but  they  were  declined.  The  "  New  York  Tribune "  is 
authority  for  the  statement  that  Dr.  Allen  is  to-day  the 


334  TALKS    WITH  GREAT   WORKERS. 

most  influential  man  in  Seoul,  not  because  of  official  po- 
sition, but  because  his  relation  to  the  king  is  that  of  a 
faithful  friend  and  an  incorruptible  personal  adviser. 

In  1887  the  king  asked  Dr.  Allen  to  head  the  first 
Korean  legation  to  the  United  States,  the  first  that  had 
ever  been  sent  to  any  foreign  nation,  except  to  China 
and  Japan.  It  was  a  matter  that  required  great  delicacy, 
as  China  at  that  time  claimed  to  be  over-lord  of  Korea, 
and  tried  to  prevent  the  party  from  leaving  Seoul.  Dr. 
Allen  was  successful,  however,  in  getting  his  party  aboard 
the  United  States  man-of-war  "Omaha."  Over  two 
years  the  delegation  remained  in  this  country,  before  the 
State  Department  saw  its  way  clear  to  recognize  the  right 
of  Korea  to  an  independent  representation.  When  at 
length  the  Korean  minister  was  received,  Dr.  Allen  re- 
turned to  Korea,  this  time  as  secretary  to  the  American 
legation,  an  honor  unsought  by  himself. 


MISSIONARY    AND    DIPLOMAT. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  Dr.  Allen  had  neglected 
missionary  work  during  these  busy  years.  His  skill  as 
a  physician  had  given  him  great  prestige,  which  enabled 
him  to  do  much  personally,  and  to  secure  for  his  fellow 
missionaries  large  opportunities  for  Christian  work.  It 
is  said  that  the  present  representative  of  the  Korean 
government  in  America  is  a  Christian. 

Dr.  Allen's  record  in  the  Department  of  State,  Wash- 
ington, is  as  follows:  "He  was  appointed  Secretary  of 
Legation  at  Seoul,  July  9,  1890  ;  appointed  Deputy  Con- 
sul General,  Sept.  25,  1890 ;  appointed  vice  and  deputy 
Consul  General,  Feb.  17,  1896 ;  appointed  Minister  Eesi- 
dent  and  Consul  General,  July  17,  1897." 

About  the  time  of  his  first  appointment  under  the 


HORACE  NEWTON  ALLEN.  335 

government,  Dr.  Allen  ceased  to  labor  under  the  com- 
mission of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions. 
But  his  influence  and  sympathy  have  never  failed  to  be 
exerted  in  behalf  of  the  various  missionary  efforts  in 
Korea.  There  are  many  avenues  through  which  an  ear- 
nest Christian  character  can  make  itself  felt. 


GENERAL  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA—  BERKELEY 


RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

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1 


1  1980 


LD  21-100m-l,'54(1887sl6)476 


YB  0588 


